Two people shot to death inside Milan court

MILAN, Italy — A man believed to be a defendant in a bankruptcy case on Thursday shot two people dead in a Milan court, including a judge, according to a prosecutor cited by Italian media.

The sound of shots sparked panic, with lawyers fleeing the scene while police officers searched for the gunman, who was thought to be still inside the building, prosecutor Giovanni Canzio said.

Media identified the man as Claudio Giardiello said he had opened fire on the third floor of the building.

“All of a sudden we heard at least three or four shots,” lawyer Marcello Ilia told AFP outside the court
.
“We tried to find out what was going on. There were suddenly lots of police officers who told us not to leave the room, they shut us in,” he said.

“After a few minutes we came out. They told us someone in a suit and tie was armed and at large in the court,” he said.

Italy’s Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said on Thursday afternoon police had arrested Giardiello.

He had fled the scene on a scooter but was captured by police in Vimercate, a city some 25 kilometers outside Milan, Alfano said on Twitter.

The Palace of Justice is in the historic center in Milan, only a few streets away from the city’s cathedral and shopping district.