German police have arrested a suspect in a case in which two officers were shot dead on a country road early on Monday near the town of Kusel.
Police had launched a search for a suspect hours earlier. A police spokesperson confirmed to dpa that it is the same man.
It was later reported that a second suspect has been detained, and that the 32-year-old suspect was detained in the town of Sulzbach, the same place as the first suspect, a police spokesperson confirmed to dpa.
The officers from the police department in the small town of Kusel had been on a routine patrol, police in the nearby city of Kaiserslautern said.
The shots were fired during a traffic check on district road number 22 in the village of Ulmet at approximately 4:20 am (0320 GMT).
When reinforcements arrived at the scene, it was too late for the 24-year-old policewoman and her 29-year-old male colleague.
Before they died, the police officers were able to radio their colleagues with the words "they're shooting." Previously, the officers had reported the discovery of a dead game animal in the vehicle.
The two victims were travelling in a police car with no markings at the time of the patrol, a spokesperson for Kaiserslautern police said.
However, the two had been in uniform and were wearing safety vests.
The 24-year-old was still in training to become a police officer, the GdP police union said.
Germany's interior minister expressed her disgust at the fatal shootings.
"Regardless of the motive behind the crime, this act is reminiscent of an execution, and it shows that police officers risk their lives every day for our safety," Nancy Faeser said.
"My thoughts are with the families, friends and colleagues of the victims. We will do everything we can to catch the perpetrators," she added.
It appears that the officers had approached the vehicle and were already conducting the traffic check when shots were fired.
The male police officer fired his own weapon several times at the scene, sources said. His younger colleague did not appear to use her weapon. She is thought to have died instantly.
Police would not confirm whether they were shot in the head. The safety vests would have covered them from their hips to their necks. A post-mortem examination is expected to be ordered.
District road 22 was fully closed near Mayweilerhof and Ulmet and police asked residents not to pick up hitch-hikers in the district of Kusel.
Evidence was secured at the scene and a police spokesperson said investigators were leaving "no stone unturned."
Malu Dreyer, premier of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate in which Kusel is situated, expressed her shock at the killings.
"Our thoughts are with the relatives," Dreyer said in a joint statement with state interior minister Roger Lewentz.
"The crime is horrific. We are very upset that two young people have lost their lives in the line of duty," they added.
Flags were flying at half-mast in the state as a sign of mourning.
