The 24-year-old resident of Kawanishi City, Hyogo Prefecture, who was arrested after an incident in the waterfront area of Wakayama City, where Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was supposed to speak, is a 24-year-old resident of the city of Kawanishi, citing law enforcement officials.
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The young man’s name has not yet been released. The motives of the act are also unknown.
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The sound of the explosion was heard around 11.30 local time in the Japanese city of Wakayama. It happened near the place of Kishida’s public performance after he had inspected the fishing port of Saigasaki.
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Eyewitnesses told NHK that the young man, when the Japanese prime minister appeared, threw a “cylindrical black object” in his direction, the police immediately detained the man, and a few seconds later there was an explosion and smoke. It was assumed that it could be a flare.
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Later it became known that the object was silver in color, resembling part of a metal pipe. The footage broadcast by various TV channels shows how Prime Minister Kishida turns around at the sound of an object falling, after which, apparently, the politician was taken away by security guards. At the same moment, the young man, who threw the object in the direction of the prime minister, is grabbed by several men from among those who had gathered, and a second later, by the employees who ensure the security of the event. The detainee was arrested on suspicion of intentionally obstructing business, Kyodo reported.
