UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- The 18th and 20th floors of the 39-story U.N. headquarters building were struck by shots fired Thursday from just inside the main gate of the complex by a single gunman who was arrested without incident, the U.N. Safety and Security Service said. There were no injuries.
At least one window was seen to have been broken on the Secretariat's west side. Witnesses said the gunman scattered a few dozen sheets of paper between the vehicle entranceway and a large circular fountain in front of the building. They were quickly collected by security officers.
A Security and Safety Service announcement to building occupants said the gunman "jumped the fence," about 7-foot high, running along First Avenue on Manhattan's East Side.
The FBI and New York City police joined in the investigation.
The incident occurred as U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan was holding meetings with Glafkos Clerides, the Greek Cypriot leader, and Raouf Denktash, the Turkish Cypriot leader, in his 38th floor offices on the East, or opposite, side of the building and Hans Blix, executive Director of the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission was briefing the Security Council, also on the east side of the complex.
From video images obtained by CNN recording arrest of the middle-aged suspect from its fourth floor office, it appeared he was of Asian origin and was dressed in a dark blue waist length jacket and a military-green trousers. He appeared to offer no resistance.
Hua Jiang, Annan's deputy spokesman, said she heard a shot and looked out her third floor window, overlooking the plaza in front of the Secretariat.
"There was this guy with a gun shooting in the air for several shots, I think about six shots," she said. "After that he threw the gun down and within seconds security was there and they overpowered him and took him away."
Hua pointed out that the incident occurred about 1:10 p.m. EDT near an unused guard shack at the side of the First Avenue double drive entrance-exit-gate, itself dominated by a recently built high tech guardhouse.
She said the gates were closed at the time.
