A security guard at a Scientology building in Hollywood has shot dead a man brandishing two Samurai swords, apparently a former member of the controversial church.

The unidentified man approached three guards around 1.30pm yesterday in the car park of the Scientology Celebrity Centre, reportedly swinging the weapons and making threatening sounds. Police said he was “close enough to hurt them” when one of the guards shot him, Los Angeles Deputy Police Chief Terry S. Hara said.

The man, in his forties, was taken to hospital where he died from his wounds.

Surveillance footage confirmed the guards’ claim that they had acted in self-defence, police said. However officers are investigating whether the guard, from a private security firm, was licensed to carry a weapon.

The would-be attacker had a previous relationship with the Church of Scientology though his exact motive is as yet unclear.

The video showed the man pulling up at the building in a red convertible, then approaching the guards with a sword in each hand, Mr Hara said.

“The evidence itself, it’s very, very clear,” he continued. “The security officers were defending their safety.”

A teenager who saw the man arrive told The Los Angeles Times that he was bald and had tattoos on his arms. Tony Marquez, 17, said he stopped the car abruptly in the driveway and climbed out with a 5-foot sword in his hand and an angry expression on his face. He walked toward the building, before returning to the car to get the other sword. Mr Marquez, from Ontario, said he thought the man was part of a "show" and entered the building before the shooting began.

Detective Wendi Berndt said the man was involved with the church a long time ago. “There was a previous relationship, but it is unclear to what degree,” she said.

The Celebrity Centre includes a seven-story Norman-revival landmark that towers over the Hollywood freeway and used to be a residential hotel for movie stars.

The castle-like facility now serves as “a home for the artist, a place where he can come and learn, attend seminars, meet other artists and even perform at our many showcases and events,” according to the centre’s website.

The Church of Scientology was established in 1945 by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard and now claims 10 million members around the world, including celebrity devotees Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Kirsty Allie.

It has attracted controversy for its belief system – which teaches that people’s immortal souls, or thetans, lived among extraterrestrial cultures before being trapped in human bodies on Earth by the galactic dictator Xenu 75 million years ago. It has also faced repeated accusations of harassment, smear campaigns and even violence against former members and critics and is currently fighting a lawsuit in France over allegations of fraud and misleading publicity.

In recent years, Scientology has found itself under attack from the group Anonymous, an internet-organised global movement which has declared a “war” on the church. Anonymous forums and message boards were today buzzing with speculation over the shooting, suggesting that the man was either a member of a more militant anti-Scientology group or a disturbed individual acting alone, but anticipating accusations of Anonymous involvement.

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