Japan's ex-leader Shinzo Abe apparently shot, Japanese public broadcaster report

Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe reportedly suffered a heart attack after being shot

The broadcaster showed images of Abe lying motionless in the street as many security personnel rushed to help him. 

When Abe passed out, he was gripping his chest and had blood all over his clothes.

According to NHK, Abe was taken directly to a hospital.

A gunshot was heard when Abe was giving a speech in Nara, where he was campaigning ahead of Sunday's election for the upper house of parliament.

On suspicion of attempted murder, police detained a male suspect at the scene, according to NHK.

In one of the safest nations in the world with some of the tightest gun prohibitions anywhere, the attack came as a shock.

Heart failure refers to a condition in which the heart is unable to adequately pump blood and provide the body's tissues with the oxygen they require.