Shinzo Abe's crazed killer believed the ex-PM had ties to a religious group that ruined his mother

Shooter Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, who admitted planning to kill former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has been described as a loner who avoided his colleagues at work and ate lunch alone

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Shinzo Abe shot: Tragic shots are fired

Shinzo Abe's crazed killer believed the former prime minister was linked to a religious group that allegedly bankrupted his mother.

Shooter Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, reportedly admitted he intended to kill Mr. Abe, 67, in the shooting.

Yamagami was arrested after shooting the politician with a homemade weapon while delivering a campaign speech in the city of Nara.

The shooter was described by a former employer as a "quiet" worker who avoided co-workers and ate lunch alone.

Yamagami told police he carried out the assassination because he wanted to retaliate against a religious group his mother had donated to, ruining the family's finances.

Tetsuya Yamagami reportedly said he killed Mr. Abe because of his ties to a religious group (

Picture:

(Photo by Handout and Toshiharu Otani/JIJI PRESS/AFP))

According to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper, Yamagami told the officers, "My family joined this religion and our life became more difficult after donating money to the organization.

"I had wanted to target the most senior member of the organization, but it was difficult. So I targeted Abe since I believed he was linked (to the organization). I wanted to kill him ."

Yamagami was unemployed at the time of the attack, although he previously worked as a forklift driver in a warehouse in Kyoto Prefecture.