Nara Court Cancels Proceedings for Abe Murder Suspect After Receiving Possible Explosive

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Staff and visitors wait outside the Nara District Court while the safety of the building is checked on Monday.

Pre-trial proceedings for the suspect in the fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe were canceled Monday, after Nara District Court received a suspicious object that morning.

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
Police officers escort shooting suspect Tetsuya Yamagami in Nara in July, 2022.

The first pre-trial proceedings for suspect Tetsuya Yamagami were scheduled to be held at the district court from 3:00 p.m., and Yamagami was expected to be present.

However, the court received an object that might have been an explosive on Monday morning. Staff and visitors were evacuated so that security checks could be conducted.