Wellington -  A 30-year-old Iraqi immigrant was in custody in Auckland on Saturday after two people were killed in a city apartment building which police said was probably a domestic incident.

Police found two bodies on the first floor of the block after being told a man was on the balcony of the 11th floor carrying a large knife and threatening to kill himself and others, news reports said.

Armed police stood by as negotiators talked to the man who eventually gave himself up. Police revealed few details of the homicides, saying only that one of the dead was a male. The arrested man will appear in court on Monday. (dpa)