A former XL Capital employee threatened a female ex-colleague with a gun during a row at the company's US offices.

Joel D'Ort, 27, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, is said to have pulled out the handgun at XL's Seaview House offices in Stamford, Connecticut.

Local newspaper 'The Advocate' said the incident took place on Friday and that D'Ort was later arrested at his nearby home.

He was arraigned to the state's Superior Court yesterday where his lawyer claimed he was stressed after losing his job in the economic downturn.

Stephan Seeger said D'Ort had gone to the XL Capital office to try and get his job back and that the incident was all a misunderstanding.

Police however, have charged D'Ort with several offences, including second-degree assault with a firearm; strangulation; unlawful restraint; reckless endangerment; criminal mischief; criminal possession of a handgun; sixth-degree larceny; criminal impersonation; and interfering with Police.

Staff had to be evacuated from the office building and Police later found the handgun concealed in a ceiling tile on the fifth floor.

XL, a global insurance and reinsurance company headquartered in Bermuda, employs about 500 people in Stamford.

Company spokesperson Christine Weirsky would not comment further on the incident, but said: "We're just happy that all of our employees are safe."

D'Ort next appears in court on October 27.