Albanian judge shot dead in court by man on trial

Judge Astrit Kalaja was killed while two others were injured during a hearing at Tirana's Court of Appeal.

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Judge Astrit Kalaja died en route to hospital, officials said, while two others involved in the hearing over a property dispute - a father and son - were shot but sustained injuries that were not life-threatening.

Police said they had arrested a 30-year-old male suspect who they identified by the initials "E Sh", but Albanian media have named as Elvis Shkëmbi.

Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama offered his condolences to Judge Kalaja's family, adding: "The criminal aggression against the judge undoubtedly requires the most extreme legal response toward the aggressor."

He also called for stricter security within the country's courts and harsher punishments for the illegal possession of weapons.