Former TSA agent stormed courthouse armed with rifles, homemade bombs and smoke grenades then shot 'hero' deputy before being killed by officers

Suspect named as weapons trader Dennis Marx

Self-confessed 'Sovereign Citizen' had been due in court to face drug and gun charges

48-year-old planned to take hostages, police say

Deputy Daniel Rush hailed a hero for stopping Marx despite being shot in the leg



Bomb-sniffing dogs brought in to search for potential explosives

Suspect: Dennis Marx was shot dead as he arrived at court with an assault rifle

A former TSA employee, armed with homemade bombs and an assault rifle, was shot dead on Friday as he tried to enter an Atlanta, Georgia courthouse.



Dennis Marx, a self-proclaimed Sovereign Citizen, is believed to have been plotting to take hostages at the courthouse, where he had been due to attend a hearing on drug and weapons charges.



Deputy Daniel Rush, who was shot in the leg by the gunman, is being hailed a hero after he prevented Marx from gaining access to the building.

Marx, who had links to an anti-government group, had arrived at the court building wearing a bullet proof vest and gas mask, and carrying weapons.



When he pulled up in his car, the 48-year-old threw out spiked stop strips to prevent vehicles from reaching him.

Deputy Daniel Rush confronted Marx, who was shot dead as he approached Forsyth County court at 9am ET.



Before he was shot dead, Marx shot through his windshield, striking Deputy Rush in the lower leg. He also let off smoke grenades and pepper spray.



Deputy Rush, who is being treated in hospital for his injuries, has been hailed a hero for stopping what police believe was an attempted hostage situation.



Scroll down for video



WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES

Danger: Dennis Marx, seen in this undated photo, had arrived at the court building wearing a bullet proof vest and gas mask, and carrying weapons

Hero: Deputy Daniel Rush is credited with saving the day by confronting Marx before he could reach the court Search: Members of a SWAT team swarm over the courthouse after the confrontation with Marx on Friday Blocked off: Police cordon off roads surrounding the court house as detectives search for explosives

Forsyth County Sheriff Duane Piper said Marx had arrived at the courthouse armed with an assault rifle, homemade explosives, water supplies and zip ties.

'He came for the purpose of occupying the courthouse,' Sheriff Piper told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

'It would be a guess to think how many lives [the deputy] saved had he not engaged him right there.



'Mr Marx’s intention was to get inside that front door and to take hostages.'

'We don't know who he was coming to the courthouse for, but with the flex ties and the restraining devices he had with him ... we have to assume that he was there to occupy the courthouse.'



Sheriff Piper described the attempted attack as a 'frontal assault' on the court house, and said Marx and Deputy Rush were involved in a gun fight before Marx died.



'From the video, it looks like [Marx] saw that deputy, swerved to try and run over the deputy. The deputy engaged him. He was shooting at Mr Marx in the vehicle, Mr Marx was shooting through the windshield at the deputy,' Sheriff Piper added.



Quick thinking: Deputy Rush was shot in the lower leg as he confronted Marx when the gunman headed towards the court building

Road block: Police use their cars to block access to the courtroom

A woman who had been acting as Marx's attorney in his forthcoming drug and weapons case, told WSB-TV she had withdrawn from his case yesterday.

She claimed she had asked the 48-year-old gun trader to undergo a psychological evaluation, but that he refused.



A SWAT team that had been on its way to a different call, were able to reach the courthouse quickly and secure the area.



Ann Shafer, another attorney due to represent Marx at his drug hearing, said he had been due in court this morning, but failed to turn up.



After waiting 40 minutes for her client, who she described as 'slightly unstable', Shafer left by the back exit, and heard the gun shots.



' I feel very lucky that I walked out the back of the courthouse instead of the front,' she told 11 Alive, adding that she immediately suspected Marx was behind the gunfire.

Bomb-sniffing dogs have been brought to the crime scene over concerns that an explosive device could have been planted near the building.

Response: Heavily armed members of the Sheriff's department clear the scene after Deputy Rush was shot in the leg

Stopped: Stop strips that Dennis Marx threw on to the road can be seen to the right. Marx, who was wearing a bullet proof vest, was shot dead

Marx was known to police, who said that his links to Sovereign Citizen groups had made them wary that a bomb may have been left.

He worked for the Transportation Security Administration for at least a year, from 2002, an official told CNN.

Deputies are also searching for explosives and booby traps at the house Marx had been living in for the past ten days.



A no-fly zone has been put in effect near his Cummings residence, and explosives specialists have not yet entered the house, which police have described as 'a bomb'.



The Sovereign Citizen movement he claimed to be a part of began in the 1970s, and is made up of groups who believe all branches of the U.S. government are illegal.



Some members have been linked to the murder of police officers.



Marx had previously tried to make an official Second Amendment Complaint against Forsyth County sheriff's office and SWAT teams.

In court documents filed in August last year, Marx made 'sweeping' allegation against members of the police force over their use of search warrants, 'Yet he does not allege a specific example to support this claim or any of his other claims'.

After the shooting, surrounding buildings and a nearby construction site around the Atlanta courthouse were evacuated, and a police officer could be seen patrolling the roof of the courthouse.



Relief: An officer is hugged as he attends the scene of the shooting outside the courthouse

Investigation: The sheriff's department searched the area around the courthouse, above, and the home of Marx who was suspected of leaving explosive devices Shooting: Police cars surround Atlanta courthouse on Friday morning after a masked gunman shot a sheriff's deputy

Abandoned: A SUV with three of its doors open was spotted at the steps of the courthouse shortly after the shooting

An abandoned SUV, with three of its doors open, could be seen in aerial footage of the courthouse. It appeared as if it had driven across a flower bed before coming to a stop. It is not yet clear if it is connected to the incident.



Deputy Rush, who has served on the force for 25 years, was taken to hospital for a gunshot wound to his lower leg.



A few hours after the shooting he posted a message on Facebook stating simply: 'I am ok.'

He has been praised widely for his actions in quickly bringing to an end what could have been a potentially devastating situation.