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At least two dead as gunman opens fire in Italian court At least two dead as gunman opens fire in Italian court
(about 1 hour later)
At least two people have died, including a judge, after a man believed to be a defendant in a bankruptcy trial opened fire in a Milan court. The suspected gunman was arrested after reportedly trying to fleeing the scene by motorbike. At least two people have died, including a judge, after a man believed to be a defendant in a bankruptcy trial opened fire in a Milan court.
The alleged gunman, named in Italian media as Claudio Giardiello, had opened fire in the Palace of Justice just before 11am (10am GMT), sparking panic as lawyers and officials fled the scene. The suspected gunman, named in Italian media as Claudio Giardiello, was arrested after reportedly trying to flee the Palace of Justice on a motorbike after
Police scoured the building for the suspect, but he made an escape before being arrested in Vimercate, 16 miles outside Milan, about an hour and a half later. opening fire just before 11am (10am GMT).
Italy’s interior minister, Angelino Alfano, confirmed the arrest of the “presumed assassin” in a tweet. Italy’s ANSA news agency quoted the president of the appeals court, Giovanni Canzio, as identifying the dead judge as Fernando Ciampi. Another victim was named in La Repubblica as the lawyer Lorenzo Alberto Claris Appiani, who was reportedly shot in the heart.
Catturato a Vimercate il presunto assassino di Milano. Ora si trova in caserma dei Carabinieri. ANSA reported that a third person had died but there were no signs they had been hit by a bullet, and may have had a heart attack during the incident.
Italy’s ANSA news agency reported that a third person had died but showed no signs of being hit by a firearm and may have suffered a heart attack during the incident. Two of Giardiello’s relatives who were also co-defendants in the trial, Giorgio Erba and Davide Limongelli, were injured, ANSA reported.
Media said the gunman had opened fire on the third floor of the Palace of Justice. Police scoured the building for the suspect as officials and staff barricaded themselves inside their offices. Giardiello escaped but was arrested in Vimercate, 16 miles from Milan, about 90 minutes later.
“All of a sudden we heard at least three or four shots,” lawyer Marcello Ilia told AFP outside the court. Italy’s interior minister, Angelino Alfano, confirmed the arrest of the “presumed assassin” in a tweet, and said the suspect was being held in police custody.
“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. Italian media said the gunman had opened fire on the third floor of the Palace of Justice, where he was on trial over the collapse of a business of which he was the majority shareholder. A fight reportedly began in the courtroom during the cross-examination, at which point Giardiello is alleged to have pulled out a gun, killing Appiani and wounding another person.
“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. He is said to have then fled the room and made his way to Ciampi’s office and fired again, killing the judge instantly. La Repubblica said the gunman had remained hidden in the courthouse for more than an hour as armed police sealed off all exits and combed the building. He managed to leave the building and escape by motorcycle, Alfano said.
ANSA and other news outlets said the man suspected of the shooting was in the courthouse for a bankruptcy proceeding. The lawyer Marcello Ilia told Agence France-Presse outside court: “All of a sudden we heard at least three or four shots. 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.
It was unclear how the gunman gained entrance, as visitors to the building have to pass through metal detectors. “After a few minutes we came out. They told us someone in a suit and tie was armed and at large in the court.”
The Palace of Justice is in the historic centre in Milan, only a few streets away from the city’s cathedral and shopping district. The Palace of Justice is in the historic centre of Milan, only a few streets away from the city’s cathedral and shopping district.