According to officials, two Japanese soldiers were killed when comrades opened fire

Officials said an 18-year-old army recruit shot and killed three comrades at a firing range at a Japanese military base on Wednesday, killing two of them.

The suspect was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder at the scene in central Japan’s Gifu Prefecture, police said.

The suspect fired a rifle at other soldiers during a target practice session at the Hino Kihon firing range, police said. Police said a 25-year-old soldier was among the three injured.

The Ground Self Defense Force, Japan’s army, confirmed that two of the wounded were later pronounced dead at a hospital.

A number of other people were believed to be attending the training at the time of the shooting, but details are still being investigated, an army official said on condition of anonymity, citing the protocol.

Japan is known for its security and has strict gun control laws. In recent years, however, there has been high-profile violence, including shootings and knife attacks on subways and arson attacks, and concerns about homemade weapons and explosives are growing.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was almost hit by a pipe bomb thrown by a suspect at a campaign site in April.

Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was murdered in July 2022 by an attacker with a hand-made weapon.

Last month, a man was arrested after allegedly shooting dead two police officers after killing two women with a knife in Nagano Prefecture.