Fishermen «heroes» caught the suspect during the assassination attempt on Fumio Kishida

The suspect (center) is captured by the mob and the police. Photo: Kyodo News

It is not clear if this is a metal tube. It looks like the explosive device recovered from the scene was a smoke bomb or a homemade bomb, or whatever the suspect was in possession of. Police dispatched a bomb disposal team to the suspect's home in Hyogo Prefecture to look for evidence of the bomb being made.

People caught in the chaos described moments of panic. “I was running frantically and then about 10 seconds later there was a loud noise and my baby started crying. I was stunned, my heart is still beating fast,” said one NHK woman.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Credit: KYODO

The attack comes less than a year after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which traumatized the country and shook up the security of government officials.

According to senior members of the fishing community, they and the police were fully prepared to welcome the prime minister on his first visit to the area, but some say security should have been tightened after Abe's death.