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Signs of attack hard to detect in Abe shooting: Expert

It is especially hard to protect VIPs during street speeches, where strict baggage checks and installation of metal detectors are difficult. (AFP)
It is especially hard to protect VIPs during street speeches, where strict baggage checks and installation of metal detectors are difficult. (AFP)
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09 Jul 2022 08:07:54 GMT9
09 Jul 2022 08:07:54 GMT9

TOKYO: It was probably difficult to detect signs of attack on former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who died Friday after being shot during a campaign trail earlier in the day, an expert said.

The expert, related to a private security company, said that the shooting was a “lone wolf attack,” a type of terrorism committed by an individual with no links to radical or other suspicious groups.

“There seemed to be no prior information about the assault, so it was probably difficult to protect Abe (from the shooting),” the expert said.

Abe was gunned down when he was delivering an election speech in front of a train station in the city of Nara, western Japan, despite being guarded by many local police officers as well as dedicated security police officers wearing suits and with guns.

Following the shooting, the National Police Agency is slated to check if there were any flaws in security for the former prime minister. “It’s important to collect information beforehand and prevent guns from being used,” the expert said.

Another expert said Japan’s security protocols for prominent political figures during street speeches may require a thorough review.

When guarding VIPs for whom firearms attacks are possible, measures to keep the audience away need to be taken to prevent an attacker from shooting from close range, an official at Y’s LAB, a crisis management company, said, adding that it is also important for the VIPs to wear bulletproof vests.

“These measures might have not been taken in the case of the attack” on Abe, the official said.

It is especially hard to protect VIPs during street speeches, where strict baggage checks and installation of metal detectors are difficult.

If politicians hope to continue the current way of making campaign speeches, the method of guarding them should be “reviewed fundamentally,” as there are limits to the amount of funds and the number of security personnel available, the official said.

JIJI Press

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