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Japanese Prosecutor's Office Indicts Abe's Killer on Murder Charges - Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The prosecutor's office of the Japanese city of Nara on Friday indicted Tetsuya Yamagami, accused of killing former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, on charges of murder and violation of firearms control law, Japanese media reported on Friday.
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Local media reported, citing the Nara District Public Prosecutors Office, that Yamagami was found mentally fit to stand trial, based on the results of a psychiatric evaluation that ended on Tuesday, and the case will be heard in a lay judge trial.
In July 2022, the Nara District Court granted the prosecution's request for Yamagami to undergo medical checks, including regarding his mental state. The man was placed in the Osaka Detention Center to undergo the procedure.
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Abe, 67, was attacked on July 8 while he was giving a campaign speech in Nara. Yamagami approached the politician from behind and fired two shots from a distance of about 10 meters (33 feet). The attacker told investigators that he had decided to carry out the assassination because of Abe's alleged ties to a religious sect that he claimed had bankrupted his mother. The group has denied having had anything to do with the former prime minister.
A Japanese news agency reported that the religious group has come under scrutiny following the incident. The government has launched an inquiry into the church's activities to assess whether it had systematically solicited massive donations from its members and their families, as well as to determine links with some lawmakers of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
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