Hearing for Abe murder suspect cancelled over suspicious object
A pre-trial hearing for the man accused of killing former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was canceled on Monday after a suspicious object was delivered to the court, local media reported. Hearing for Abe murder suspect cancelled over suspicious object .
Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, is facing charges of murder over the July 8 shooting of Abe, who was shot twice while giving a campaign speech in the western city of Nara.
Yamagami has admitted to shooting Abe, but has not provided a motive for the killing.
The hearing on Monday was scheduled to be the first time Yamagami would have appeared in court since his arrest.
However, the hearing was canceled after a suspicious object was delivered to the court, according to the reports.
The object was reportedly a package that contained a liquid substance.
The police were called to the scene and the package was removed for further investigation.
The hearing has been rescheduled for July 20.
The cancellation of the hearing is the latest in a series of setbacks for the prosecution in the case.
Last week, a court rejected a request by prosecutors to detain Yamagami for an additional 10 days.
The prosecutors had argued that Yamagami was a flight risk and that there was a risk he could destroy evidence.
However, the court ruled that Yamagami could be detained for an additional five days.
The prosecution is expected to file new charges against Yamagami in the coming weeks.
If convicted of murder, Yamagami could face the death penalty.
