'Shooter hinted Shinzo Abe's killing in letter to Unification Church critic'

Tokyo: Ahead of Shinzo Abe's assassination, the man accused of the murder had sent a letter to a critic of the Unification Church mentioning his intention to kill former Japanese Prime Minister, the recipient said on Sunday.

According to Kyodo News, the letter shows the strong resentment that the assailant, Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, felt toward the church, with which he believed Abe had ties.

Yamagami had sent the letter apparently from Okayama Prefecture to the recipient's address in Chugoku region, western Japan.

In the letter, Yamagami said he "felt bitter" toward Abe, who he described as "one of the most influential sympathizers of the Unification Church in the real world," but that the former leader "was not his original enemy," Kyodo News reported.

Shinzo Abe was shot and killed on July 8 when he was delivering a speech during an election campaign rally in Nara.

Yamagami was arrested at the scene. Police found a homemade gun and later sent to prosecutors on suspicion of murder. (UNI)