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The alleged killer was captured as he tried to flee the courthouse on a motorbike, reports suggest.

He was believed to be a defendant in a bankruptcy case at the Palace of Justice building in Milan, Italy.

Prosecutor Edmondo Bruti Liberati said the man – named in reports as Claudio Giardiello – was a defendant who allegedly shot his lawyer and co-defendant, killing both.

Afterwards, the suspect "walked through the building, going down a floor, and killed the judge," Bruti Liberati said.

Another person is reported to have been injured when the man fired off shots.

Witnesses reported barricading themselves inside their offices and taking cover under their desks as police hunted for the shooter.

The man was tracked down by police in the town of Vimercate, 25km from Milan, the Italian Interior Minister said.

Angelino Alfano said the suspect was being held in a military police barracks.

The ANSA state news agency said appeals court president Giovanni Canzio identified judge Fernando Ciampi as one of the men killed in the shooting.

Questions have been raised as to how the gunman managed to get into the building and past metal detectors and security guards with a weapon.

There are metal detectors at the four main entrances to the court but lawyers and employees with official IDs are waved through without being screened.

Employees who escaped after the shooting suggested the gunman could have got in without passing through the metal detector if he entered the court with his lawyer.

Lawyer Marcello Ilia said the gunman fired "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," he said.