Shinzo Abe's assassin was lurking just few yards behind Japan's former PM before blasting him to death 

His bodyguards try to deflect assassin's bullets with BRIEFCASES as former PM freezes when first shot is fired...then slumps when fatal bullet hits 

By Edward Era Barbacena

Cameras trained on Abe as he gave a political stump speech in the city of Nara at 11.30am captured the moment the first shot was fired, missing the politician but producing a loud bang and a cloud of smoke. 

For what feels an eternity, but in reality is just a few seconds, Abe remains on his podium as bewildered guards - who were all looking at him as he spoke - turn around and finally grasp what is happening, just a moment too late.

Panicked, they try to put themselves between Abe and 41-year-old gunman Tetsuya Yamagami with one even flinging his briefcase in a lame attempt to stop what they all know is coming.

Abe turns too, and may have caught sight of his attacker for the briefest of moments before the second fatal shot is fired: Causing his shirt-front to ripple as pellets tear into his neck and chest, burying themselves in his heart.

He is not immediately knocked unconscious, but stumbles off the stump and collapses to his knees before slumping over. Guards run to his side, and later images show how they began chest compressions in a vain attempt to revive him. He died several hours later in hospital from massive blood loss.

Yamagami was tackled to the ground and arrested, with police saying he has confessed - telling them he wanted to kill Abe because he was a member of a 'specific organisation' that he disagreed with.

Police say Yamagami had amassed an arsenal of home-made weapons similar to the one used in the attack at his home, along with a number of explosives which have been taken to be destroyed.

It is not clear exactly how he learned to make the weapons, but he is a veteran of the country's defence forces having served in the navy between 2002 and 2005.

Yamagami is currently unemployed and had travelled to Nara by train, lying in wait at the station where Mr Abe was due to give his speech before launching the attack. Cops have not said how long he waited.

A chilling image taken just moments before Abe was killed shows Yamagami - an unassuming figure in a green t-shirt and cargo trousers - loitering just behind him, .