Yamagami reportedly told police he had targeted the former prime minister because of Abe’s relationship with the Unification Church, which Yamagami accused of bankrupting his mother due to abusive donation practices. On Friday, the uncle, who is Yamagami’s father’s 77-year-old older brother, shared that Yamagami’s mother first attended the church in 1991 after her husband committed suicide in 1984. She made many donations to the religious group throughout her tenure as a dedicated member, including proceeds from the sale of the family’s property and home. More from NextShark: Suspect who stabbed elderly Asian women in SF could get life in prison Despite the fact that he went bankrupt in 2002, he continued to give to the church, albeit in smaller amounts, according to the principle of “world peace and unification”. “I think she was a very important follower of the church. He was under mind control,” said the uncle. He added that the family was thrown into poverty and Yamagami was forced to drop out of college due to financial disaster. More from NextShark: Japanese airline offering $540 aisle meals quickly sold out “He was extremely intelligent just like his father,” Yamagami’s uncle recalled. “He was also a hard worker and I have only good memories of him.” Church officials said at a press conference on Monday that he had no direct relationship with Abe, although he did have other lawmakers through an affiliated organization. He also insisted that he had repaid her ¥50 million ($360,929), while claiming there were no records of her donations to the organization. More from NextShark: Malaysian worker sees newborn son for first time in 6 months separated from COVID-19 The Unification Church was first established in South Korea in 1954 by Reverend Sun Myung Moon, who was heavily influenced by the Confucian idea that world peace begins with harmonious families. The story continues The church is known for its mass weddings, in which leaders officiate thousands of new couples at once in a single gathering, and its influence on conservative political parties. Yamagami reportedly first planned to kill the church’s religious leaders, but changed his target to Abe after seeing a video message Abe sent to one of the Unification Church’s affiliates. More from NextShark: Woman creates leaflets in 7 languages on how to report anti-Asian hate crimes COVID-19 has also prevented him from being able to travel to South Korea, where many of the elderly are. Yamagami told police he began experimenting with making his own firearms around spring last year and had initially considered making a bomb instead of a gun. Featured image via Vice
