Germany shooting: Major police operation underway after shots fired at court

A major police operation is underway in Germany after a reported shooting at a court.

Several people were injured and seen lying on the ground at the regional court in Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, after the shooting, according to local media.

It came after the end of a murder trial at 1.30pm local time on Wednesday, with shots reportedly fired about 150m from the exit of the city's district court.

Eyewitnesses have told the German magazine Bild that police outside the courtroom door could be heard shouting, "Someone is shooting outside", before everyone fled into the street.

The trial of Hüseyin Akkurt, 38, who is accused of shooting the professional boxer Besar Nimani, began this morning.

Mr Akkurt was arrested in Brussels in July. A second suspect is still on the run, according to Bild.

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According to the same publication, one person has reportedly been arrested while another may have been holed up inside the court.

Bild reports that family members of the defendant have been shot dead. It has not been possible to verify this yet.

Mr Akkurt is accused of ambushing Mr Nimani along with Ayman Dawoud Kirit, 33, in Bielefeld at about 6pm on March 9 last year.

Mr Nimani had parked his BMW X5 in a no-parking zone and was on his way to a cafe when the two allegedly shot him.