A judge was shot dead in a courtroom in the Albanian capital Tirana on Monday at about 3:40 p.m. while pronouncing a sentence, police said.
Police said the case in Tirana involved a real estate dispute. Daily Koha Jone reported the suspected shooter was a 30-year-old man who knew he was going to lose the case.
Shooting and arrests
Two other people, described as a father and son who were also involved in the case, were wounded and are in stable condition, authorities said.
The suspected shooter was apprehended shortly after the incident, police said. It was not known how the man smuggled the weapon into the courthouse, and police said it was possible he had help.
News site Panorama reported that a security guard at the courthouse was detained. Panorama said that person worked at the scanner at the entrance on Monday.
Official reactions
President Bajram Begaj and justice minister Besfort Lamallari condemned the shooting as “a terrible attack on the entire justice system.”
Prime Minister Edi Rama called for “the toughest possible legal response against the aggressor.”
Albania’s Supreme Court expressed concern about the safety of judges and said incidents such as Monday’s shooting undermine the judiciary’s authority and public trust in the rule of law.
