Police arrest armed man who made threats against US Supreme Court justice

US police arrested an armed man who made threats against Brett Kavanaugh near the conservative Supreme Court justice's home, the court said Wednesday.

"At approximately 1:50 am today, a man was arrested near Justice Kavanaugh's residence. The man was armed and made threats against Justice Kavanaugh," the court said in a statement.

The arrest came as the court prepares to release potentially landmark judgements on two politically charged cases on gun rights and abortion.An armed man who made threats against conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was arrested near the justice's home in Maryland early on Wednesday, a court spokesperson said.

The Washington Post reported that the man, who it said was in his mid-20s, was angry about a draft opinion leaked last month signaling that the court was preparing to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

"At approximately 1:50 am today, a man was arrested near Justice Kavanaugh's residence. The man was armed and made threats against Justice Kavanaugh," court spokesperson Patricia McCabe said.

The Supreme Court building has been surrounded by high black fencing since the leak of that decision, which court officials said was authentic but a preliminary draft that did not necessarily represent the final decision. The draft decision triggered protests in Washington and other cities by abortion rights supporters.

• Americas