footage shows the aftermath of the suspected shooting of the former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday morning July 8.

The politician was treated at the scene before being airlifted to the hospital while bodyguards wrestled a suspect to the ground a few yards away on the other side of the road in Nara.

Abe reportedly suffered heart failure after apparently being shot during a campaign speech. He was seen collapsed on the street with several security guards running toward him. Abe was holding his chest when he collapsed, with his shirt smeared with blood. He was rushed to hospital.

Witnesses reported hearing gunshots in the apparent attack. Police reportedly arrested a male suspect at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder.