Donald Trump rushed off stage in final days of campaign over security alert

NEVADA - Republican candidate Donald Trump was rushed off stage by security officers during a US election campaign address in Reno, Nevada.

Two security agents seized Trump by the shoulders and hustled him backstage as police officers swarmed over a white male in the front of the crowd and held him face down on the ground while they searched him.

Moments later, the man was escorted by police away with his hands behind his back. Trump, seemingly unruffled, returned to the stage and continued his campaign speech.

"Nobody said it was going to be easy for us," he said. "But we will never be stopped."

The Secret Service later said the incident erupted when an unidentified individual in front of the stage shouted "gun."

"Secret Service agents and Reno Police Officers immediately apprehended the subject. Upon a thorough search of the subject and the surrounding area, no weapon was found," the Secret Service said in a statement.

"A thorough investigation is ongoing at this time by the US Secret Service and the Reno Police Department," it said.

The incident began when Trump noticed what he considered a heckler. A few seconds later people near the stage began pointing at someone in the crowd near the front.