TIBUS HETH SHOT BY MYSTERY ASSAILANT AT NEW CALDARI POLITICAL RALLY, CONDITION UNKNOWN

Tibus Heth, Executor of the Caldari State, has been shot by an unknown assailant at a Provist political rally in the major metropolis of Okushin on New Caldari Prime. The attack, which took place shortly after noon today, caused widespread panic among the assembled crowd of roughly 12,000, necessitating Provist interventionary measures that at last count have left three dead and approximately 200 injured.

Martial law has been declared in the greater Okushin area, with planetwide security measures coming into effect throughout New Caldari Prime. The Caldari Navy and armed forces are on high alert and have ordered reinforcements into every post in the neighboring systems. A defensive forward point has been established by the Caldari Navy off the shoulder of New Caldari Prime, reportedly numbering several capital and subcapital Navy vessels.

Three minutes into Heth's second speech of the day, shortly after a noontime break in the proceedings, a loud report was heard from somewhere to the left of center in the crowd. His body snapping back and sideways, Heth lost his footing and fell, with camera recordings of the incident displaying a small dappling of blood on the ground nearby. Provist security forces responded immediately, firing stun rounds into the crowd. It is unknown at this time whether they have had any success in apprehending the perpetrator, though a number of eyewitness reports indicate a confrontation later took place between Provists and an unidentified robed figure, who apparently dispatched over a dozen guards in armed and hand-to-hand combat before being overpowered and dragged away.

Heth was rushed into a medical shuttle and taken away by the Provist guard. No reports have as yet surfaced regarding his condition.

The Kimotoro Stock Exchange has closed for the rest of the day, while businesses and schools all over the State have likewise shut down early. Several dozen impromptu vigils have formed in the State's largest public areas, and broadcasts are awash with replays of the footage, as well as heated speculation on the nature of the attack.

Neither the Caldari Providence Directorate nor the Chief Executive Panel could be reached for comment.