Three shot dead at Milan court as city prepares to host Expo

A property entrepreneur facing charges of fraud in a bankruptcy case killed three people and wounded at least two in Milan's main courthouse on Thursday.

Claudio Giardiello, 57, allegedly opened fire on two separate floors inside the court building, less than a mile from Milan's famous cathedral, the Duomo, after entering the complex with a weapon, despite the presence of metal detectors.

According to police, Mr Giardiello first killed Lorenzo Alberto Claris Appiani, a lawyer, and Giorgio Erba, a co-defendant, on the third floor, where his case was being considered.

Mr Giardiello then moved to the judge's chambers on the second floor and killed Fernando Ciampi, a bankruptcy judge, before fleeing on a motor scooter. Mr Giardiello was arrested in Vimercate, about 20 miles northeast of Milan.

The shootings came as Angelino Alfano, Italy's interior minister, was presiding over a meeting of police chiefs to finalise security arrangements for the Milan Expo - the world fair due to begin on May 1.

With up to 20m visitors expected in the northern Italian city over the next six months, the Expo could be a target for terrorists. Mr Alfano had to end the meeting abruptly to follow the shootings.

"This is a time of mourning, but we need to clarify how someone could bring a weapon into a tribunal," Matteo Renzi, the prime minister, told reporters. He added that there were "obvious faults" in security.

Meanwhile, Sergio Mattarella, Italy's president and a former constitutional court judge, said "full light" needed to be shed on the case. "We need to ensure the maximum security for servants of the state," he said.

According to Italian media, Mr Giardiello - the main shareholder in a property company that went bust a few years ago - said after he was captured that he was seeking "revenge against those who ruined me".

Anna Siena, his ex-wife, said she "never would have thought he was so desperate. I am shocked", according to La Stampa newspaper.

Italian authorities suspect that Mr Giardiello may have entered the court building using a fake ID card through the entrance reserved for judges and lawyers where security is not as tight.

Opposition politicians criticised the government over the attack.

"Isis is at our doorstep and threatens us every day - and in a few days Expo will begin. Our country should be hyper-safe and instead it's like a pasta strainer," said Daniela Santanche, of the centre-right Forza Italia party.

However, Mr Renzi told reporters: "This has nothing to do with the Expo."

Amid Italy's economic difficulties, an analysis by Alessio Terzi of Bruegel, the Brussels-based economic think- tank, shows the number of enterprise bankruptcies in the country has more than doubled compared with its pre-financial crisis level. Whereas in many other countries bankruptcies stabilised after an initial bump, they have kept on rising in Italy.

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