Suspicious parcel triggers evacuation in Japanese court ahead of Abe's killing hearing

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - The arrival of an unidentified package at a court in western Japan on Monday triggered the evacuation of the building where the trial of the individual accused of killing former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was scheduled to take place.

Both staff and visitors were evacuated from the Nara District Court of Kansai province as a precautionary measure, according to Tokyo-based Kyodo News.

Following the incident, the Nara District Court canceled its initial pretrial proceedings concerning the case involving Tetsuya Yamagami.

Tetsuya Yamagami, the 42-year-old accused, was scheduled to appear in the afternoon session.

A cardboard box measuring approximately 33 centimeters in length, 28 centimeters in width, and 26 centimeters in height triggered a metal detector at the court premises, Japanese police said.

Yamagami is “under evaluation since July 25, 2022 to determine whether he was mentally fit to be held criminally responsible for his actions.”

The shooter claimed he held a grudge against the Unification Church, a religious group known for its mass weddings and aggressive donation solicitations after his mother’s large financial donations caused his family to fall apart.

He targeted Abe in the belief the former prime minister had links to the group.

Abe was shot last July during an election campaign in the city of Nara.​​​​​​​