Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan was safely evacuated on Saturday from a site where he had been scheduled to give a speech shortly before an explosion was heard, according to the police.

An object was thrown, prompting Kishida’s removal. By the time of the explosion, the Prime Minister had been taken away from the area, according to the police in Wakayama, the western Japanese city where the episode happened. It is not clear what the explosive object was, but it did not result in serious damage or injuries, the police said.

Video footage posted by the national broadcaster, NHK, on Saturday showed police officers, security detail and what appeared to be members of the public tackling the man the police say is the suspect.

The man, who was carrying a grey and black backpack and wearing beige pants, black Adidas sneakers and a blue jacket, appeared to struggle as the police and security officers half-dragged and half-carried him from the scene.

NHK footage showed billowing white smoke rising from a site close to a fishing port where supporters had gathered late on Saturday morning.

Kishida had been scheduled to give a stump speech in support of a lower house candidate from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party who is running in a special election.

A police spokesman in Wakayama said on Saturday that a suspect had been arrested in the case and was in custody. According to a driver’s licence that the police believe belongs to the suspect, he is 24 years old and surnamed Kimura.

Less than a year ago, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot during a campaign speech in Nara, a city not far from Wakayama.

Separate video footage on NHK showed the suspect on Saturday holding a slender grey canister shortly before a loud explosive sound was heard. Kishida was briefly taken to a police station.

New York Times News Service