A 61-year-old man has been charged with two counts of attempted murder after an alleged knife attack at Manchester Magistrates' Court on Monday afternoon.

Nicholas Hogan, of New Moss Road, Cadishead, in Salford, was also charged with one count of possession of a bladed article in a public place, Greater Manchester Police said in a statement on Wednesday.

Police said the charges relate to an assault with a knife against two men at the court on Crown Square in Manchester. Officers were called to the courthouse at about 2pm on Monday 9 November.

Arrest at the court

Security staff restrained the man as he tried to enter the court building shortly before 2pm on Monday, and police officers then arrived and arrested him, the Manchester Evening News reported.

The force said the suspect suffered an injury to his hand during the incident. No other injuries were reported.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said officers had been called to reports of a man with a knife trying to enter the court at Crown Square. The man was detained by security staff and then arrested by officers on suspicion of possession of a bladed article and taken into custody for questioning.

Due in court today

Hogan was remanded in custody and was due to appear at Liverpool Magistrates' Court on Wednesday morning, 11 November.

The charges are allegations at this stage and have not yet been tested in court. Hogan has not entered any plea, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Police have not said what, if anything, led to the alleged attack, and no further details about the two men said to have been targeted have been released.

The incident caused disruption at the court on Monday afternoon, but proceedings at the Crown Square courts continued. Greater Manchester Police said its investigation was continuing.

What happens next

Hogan's first appearance is expected to deal with the formal reading of the charges and questions of bail and remand. Attempted murder is one of the most serious offences in English law and can only be tried in the Crown Court, so the case would be sent there if it proceeds.

Possession of a bladed article in a public place is a separate offence, and it is illegal to carry a knife in public without a good reason, with limited exceptions such as for work or religious reasons.

Court buildings in England and Wales are protected by security staff and screening at entrances, and incidents of violence inside court buildings are rare. The swift response of the security staff at Crown Square meant the man was restrained before he could get further into the building, according to the reports of the incident.

Anyone with information about what happened at the court on Monday afternoon has been urged to contact Greater Manchester Police.