Queen Elizabeth reacts to the murder of former prime minister of Japan

Queen Elizabeth on Friday expressed sorrow over the assassination of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.

In a statement issued by the Buckingham Palace, she said, "My family and I were deeply saddened to hear the news of the sudden and tragic death of former prime minister."

She said, "I have fond memories of meeting Mr Abe and his wife during their visit to the United Kingdom in 2006."

Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the longest-serving leader of modern Japan, was gunned down on Friday while campaigning for a parliamentary election, shocking a country where guns are tightly controlled and political violence almost unthinkable.

Abe, 67, was pronounced dead around five and a half hours after the shooting in the city of Nara. Police arrested a 41-year-old man and said the weapon was a homemade gun.