Video game icon mixed with Shinzo Abe killer

A French politician and a Greek TV channel have picked posts by internet trolls – spreading photos of renowned Japanese game designer Hideo Kojima and claiming he is the prime suspect in the assassination of Shinzo Abe – as a legitimate piece of news. Japan’s ex-PM was fatally wounded by a lone gunman, identified as 41-year-old Yamagami Tetsuya, on Friday.

Far-right politician Damien Rieu was apparently the first public figure to fall for the joke, as he reposted a Twitter message claiming the ex-PM was slain by “left-wing activist Samyuero Hydeo.” The message was accompanied by photos of Kojima.

Rieu also delved into a thread started by French left-wing politician Clementine Autain to express her condolences to Japanese people, sharing more pictures of Kojima and saying the “extreme left kills.”

While Rieu eventually deleted his misleading messages, they seem to have been picked up by the Greek ANT1 TV channel. The broadcaster used the same photos of Kojima in its roll on Abe’s assassination.

The channel also made far-reaching claims about how the suspected killer “was passionate about Che Guevara.” The assertion was apparently based solely on Kojima’s photos.

Japan’s ex-PM was mortally wounded on the street in the western prefecture of Nara during a campaign event on Friday. The suspected killer was apprehended at the scene, with a seemingly hand-made weapon seized from him. The suspect reportedly told the police he “intended” to kill Abe and was dissatisfied with the former prime minister.