THIS TERRIFYING image captures Shinzo Abe just before he was fatally shot, with his attacker waiting in the shadows.

Abe was ruthlessly gunned down and killed in a gruesome assassination by a lone gunman using a handmade weapon.

In the brutal murder that stunned the entire globe, the 67-year-old victim was shot in the neck and chest.

Additionally, a picture shot just before he passed away shows Abe approaching a podium while the suspect is looking at him.

The ex-PM was shot twice with a handmade shotgun minutes after the photo was taken, resulting in his death.

Abe helped change Japan’s position in the world while serving as Prime Minister for nine years, the nation’s longest consecutive term.