Viral image shows US comedian Sam Hyde, NOT the shooter of Shinzo Abe
Viral image shows the shooter of Shinzo Abe
Japanese former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot during a political campaign in Nara on June 8, 2022. He succumbed in the hospital the same day. This came as a shock to one and all.
After this incident, many started speculating about the shooter who killed Abe. Several accounts on the social media started sharing an image with the claim that it shows "Samzuki Hyadaiko" , the shooter who killed Abe. And that he is a political extremist and Yakuza member.
The caption goes as "BREAKING: #ShinzoAbe's shooter identified as Samzuki Hydaiko. "A known political extremist and Yakuza member"
The claim has been viral on all platforms of social media.
Fact Check:
The claim that the viral image shows the shooter of Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and is named Samzuki Hydaiko is FALSE. The image shows American comedian and performance artist, Sam Hyde.
When we searched for the image shared as the assassin of Shinzo Abe using Google Reverse Image search, we found that it was taken from a YouTube video titled "Sam Hyde still a nigga", uploaded in September 2018 by a channel named Gary Enwards.
When compared, we found that it is the same image used for the viral claim.
The search for another viral image shared with the claim led us to an IMDB page on a documentary 'Getting away with it'. This image also belongs to US comedian Sam Hyde.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt17634306/
According to bbc.com, the suspect who shot Shinzo Abe was a local resident of Nara, 41 year old Tetsuya Yamagami. He is believed to be a former member of Japan's Maritime self- defense force, Japan's equivalent of a navy.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62094363
According to reports, Tetsuya Yamagami was unhappy with the former prime minister and he used a handmade gun to shoot Abe.
He was immediately nabbed by the security guards. Videos and images of the suspect were shared by several publications after the incident occurred.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/videos-show-shinzo-abe-shooting-130017850.html
Therefore, the claim that the viral image shows the shooter of Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe and is named Samzuki Hydaiko is FALSE.