Milan court shooting: Man kills lawyer, judge and co-defendant

The suspect, Claudio Giardiello, was arrested in a suburb after fleeing the scene on a motorbike. He was reportedly a defendant in a bankruptcy case.

He is believed to have shot dead a co-defendant, his former lawyer and a bankruptcy court judge.

Earlier reports of a fourth death were proven wrong. The shooting has prompted scrutiny of security measures.

Questions are being asked about how Mr Giardiello managed to smuggle a weapon into a well-guarded building, use it several times and escape.

The suspect was arrested by carabinieri officers in Vimercate, about 25km (15 miles) north-east of central Milan, near the town of Monza.

Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said the "presumed assassin" had been taken to a military police barracks in the Milan area.

'Shut in'

The sound of gunfire had sparked panic inside the Palace of Justice on Wednesday morning.

Hundreds of people poured down stairways towards the exits while police and military police officers searched for the gunman.

"All of a sudden we heard at least three or four shots," lawyer Marcello Ilia told the AFP news agency outside the building.

"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."