The suspect in the attack on Fumio Kishida carried the artifacts on board the trains

The suspect in the bombing of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during his weekend election speech in western Japan is believed to have arrived at the scene by train, with explosive devices on board, as reported by Kyodo News.

A nearby security camera caught Ryuji Kimura, a 24-year-old man from Hyogo Prefecture, leaving the Wakayamashi Station ticket booth about an hour before the explosion at about 11:25 a.m. Saturday in a Wakayama prefectural fishing port, the sources said.

Prefectural police are confirming the images with those taken by onboard cameras of local buses heading from the station to a stop near the port, where Kimura was about 10 meters from Kishida when he dropped the explosive device. cylindrical in shape.

The attack on Kishida came less than a year after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot last July during a speech in the city of Nara ahead of the House of Councilors elections, an incident that led to the National Police Agency to reinforce the security of their personalities.

Attack on Fumio Kishida: The Prime Minister speaks out and asks to strengthen security

Investigative sources said the suspect was carrying two items believed to be explosive devices, including the one used in the attack, which appears to have been a homemade pipe bomb. Fragments were found near a warehouse located about 40 meters from the scene.

Kimura, who was subdued by local fishermen immediately after launching the device, was also found to be carrying a knife hidden in his backpack, with a blade about 13 centimeters in length, according to the sources.

According to the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) headquarters, the party posted Kishida’s agenda for Saturday on its website and a LDP election candidate also posted plans for the prime minister’s speech on social media, so it is possible that the suspect planned his attack based on the information available on the internet.

Prefectural police sent Kimura to the Wakayama District Prosecutor’s Office on Monday, where he could remain in custody until April 26, the office said.