Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot during a campaign speech Friday in Nara and was airlifted to a hospital but he was not breathing and his heart had stopped, officials said.

Local fire department official Makoto Morimoto said Abe was in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest after being taken to a prefectural hospital.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters that police arrested an alleged male shooter at the scene. He was identified as Tetsuya Yamagami, a 41-year-old resident of Nara and former member of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.