The suspect in the shooting of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo reportedly told police that he initially intended to kill Abe by using explosives before deciding to use a gun.

Abe was fatally shot on Friday as he was making a campaign speech in the western city of Nara.

Police arrested the 41-year-old suspect, Yamagami Tetsuya, on the spot. They say they confiscated several handmade guns from his apartment, similar to the one found at the scene of the shooting.

Investigative sources quote Yamagami as saying he built several different types of guns by separately strapping together between two and six steel pipes using adhesive tape.

The sources say Yamagami told investigators that he built a number of guns and that he had completed making them several months ago.

Yamagami also reportedly said that he had been to other campaign sites, including Okayama City the day before, with the goal of killing the former prime minster.

Yamagami earlier said he had found out on a website that Abe would be coming to Nara.

Police are looking into what may have caused Yamagami to change his mind from using explosives to choosing a gun. They are also investigating the possibility that he may have been waiting for an opportunity to attack Abe for some time.