According to the Japan Times, police are looking into the possibility that the objects used in the Saturday attack on Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida were homemade pipe bombs.
The revelation came as police raided Ryuji Kimura’s home in Kawanishi, Hyogo Prefecture, in the early hours of Sunday.
Conducting wires discovered on both ends of one of the cylinders, which resembled a steel pipe, led investigators to believe the objects were pipe bombs, as such devices have gunpowder sealed inside a cylinder and are detonated by igniting a fuse, according to Japan Times, citing NHK.
Police are still looking into whether the devices were intended to be lethal.
According to investigators, the suspect, Kimura, was also carrying a knife in his backpack at the scene.
On Saturday evening, police reportedly advised residents near Kimura’s home to evacuate to a nearby community centre due to the possibility of explosives being discovered. The neighbours were allowed to return home before dawn on Sunday after authorities determined it was safe, according to the Japan Times.
The searches began at 1 a.m. local time on Sunday and lasted eight hours. In connection with the incident, police seized more than a dozen cardboard boxes believed to contain confiscated items, including what appeared to be gunpowder and a computer.
Kishida spoke to reporters on Sunday about the incident, calling violent attacks during elections “unforgivable.”
He added that security details will be confirmed as the investigation progresses and that the country must ensure safety during the upcoming Group of Seven summit and other events that bring dignitaries from around the world together.
“We will do everything we can, together with the people of Japan, to ensure safety during the diplomatic schedule,” Kishida said.
Japan’s Prime Minister was unharmed in the attack, and his security detail escorted him to safety just before an explosion rang out and Kimura was apprehended. According to the Japan Times, one police officer sustained minor injuries to his left arm.
Kimura was reportedly carrying two cylindrical objects, believed to be pipe bombs measuring 20 to 30 centimeters in length, during the attack. One of Kimura’s objects landed about a meter away from the prime minister, who was about to begin a stump speech for a candidate in a Lower House by-election at Saikazaki fishing port in Wakayama.
A few seconds later, it exploded, shattering the cylinder. The other was seized by police while Kimura was restrained, according to the Japan Times.
Kimura was arrested on suspicion of business obstruction and has yet to respond to police questioning, but he has stated that he will speak once his lawyer arrives, according to investigative sources.
