Nara, July 8: Japan's NHK television says former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has died after being shot during a campaign speech. Abe was shot from behind minutes after he started his speech Friday in Nara in western Japan.

He was airlifted to a hospital for emergency treatment but was not breathing and his heart had stopped. He was pronounced dead later at the hospital. Shinzo Abe Assassinated: Former Japanese PM Dies After Being Shot At Campaign Event in Nara.

The 67-year-old Abe was Japan's longest-serving leader before stepping down for health reasons in 2020.

Police arrested the suspected gunman at the scene of the attack, which shocked people in a country known as one of the world's safest.