Ganemulle Sanjeeva was shot at close range as he entered the dock in a bail hearing at the Colombo magistrates court, police said in a statement.

Sanjeeva was brought to court under a heavy armed escort by commandos from the elite Special Task Force, who handed him over to prison guards at the entrance.

The gunman escaped as the critically wounded Sanjeeva was bundled into a security vehicle and rushed to hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.

“We have recovered a revolver used in the shooting and the gunman has been identified,” deputy public security minister Sunil Watagala told reporters outside the court.

“A search is underway.”

Nine people have been killed in a spate of shootings this year in the island nation blamed on gang rivalry, according to police data.