One man has been killed and another seriously wounded after a person opened fire inside a court building in the Danish capital of Copenhagen, according to police. A suspect has been arrested.

Police said a suspect had been arrested nearby the courthouse on Tuesday and a sawn-off shotgun was seized.

The shooting took place just before 10 a.m. (0800 UTC) at the Bailiff's court, which is part of the larger Copenhagen City Court and located behind city hall (pictured at top).

Several streets were cordoned off by police after the shooting.

Police said the shooting appeared to be related to a court case.

The head of the Copenhagen City Court, Soeren Axelsen, said that the incident was likely some kind of "a family showdown."

Neither victim was a court employee, he added, without providing any further details.

Axelson told broadcaster TV2 News that bystanders and court staff were to be offered crisis counseling.

dr/bw (AP, dpa)