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Japan marvels at heroics of fishermen who subdued PM Kishida’s smoke-bomb attacker
- Moments after a suspicious object was hurled at the Japanese prime minister, a group of fishermen sprang into action to take the man down who threw it
- One grabbed his neck, another pushed his head down and a third latched onto his leg, leaving many online to wonder if they were plain-clothes police
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As soon as Tsutomu Konishi noticed an object flying over his head and landing near Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, he and a group of other fishermen swarmed the man who officials later identified as a suspect in the attack.
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A security officer covered the object with a bulletproof briefcase, one of the fishermen grabbed the man’s neck from behind and another pushed his head down, while Konishi latched onto his leg. They were holding the man as police officers pulled him to the ground.
A few moments later on Saturday there was an explosion, the crowd fleeing in panic as officers dragged away the suspect: a man carrying a silver-grey rucksack.
The team effort by the fishermen in this close-knit community has created a buzz on Japan’s social media, prompting many to wonder if they were plain-clothes police officers.
“I never thought a crime like this would happen in my hometown, which is a rather small fishing area,” Konishi, 41, said on Sunday as he sipped a can of coffee at the port of Saikazaki. “I’m still shocked and stunned.”
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