NARA: The suspect in the fatal shooting of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had rented a garage for use to dry gunpowder, it was learned Wednesday.

According to sources in the police department of Nara Prefecture, western Japan, Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, has told investigators that he rented a garage with shutters for about 15,000 yen per month from last November to this February.

Yamagami also said that he used the garage to dry gunpowder, which authorities believe was used in his homemade guns.

The garage, located in the prefecture, is large enough for a standard-size car. Due to the shutters, it is difficult to see what is going on within from the outside, according to the sources.

Investigators have not confirmed foul smells or any other problems linked to the garage while Yamagami was renting it.

The police have discovered trays wrapped in aluminum foil from Yamagami’s car, which he said were used in the drying process.

The Nara police also found what appeared to be gunpowder stored in multiple containers, as well as an electronic scale and a blender at the suspect’s home in the city of Nara, the prefecture’s capital, where Abe was gunned down on July 8.

The powder is believed to have been classified by container during a production process using trial and error. The police are rushing to identify the substance.

The police seized the containers during its raid of Yamagami’s home on July 8, after the shooting. The police searched the home also on Saturday.

JIJI Press