Suspects in double police killing to appear in court

Two people suspected of killing two police officers in Germany will appear before an investigating judge on Tuesday.

The 32 and 38-year-old suspects, both German citizens, were arrested on Monday evening at a house in Sulzbach in the Saarland. "The investigation will continue until it can be ruled out that there are other perpetrators," a police spokeswoman said.

A 24-year-old police trainee and a 29-year-old senior inspector were  shot and killed during a traffic check on a district road in the town of Kusel, in Rhineland-Palatinate, early on Monday morning.

According to information from security sources, the officers had previously reported by radio that the carcass of a game animal had been found in a vehicle. Later they reported "they are shooting".

The police officer is said to have fired several shots at the scene - whether they were warning shots or the officer was shooting at a suspect is still unclear. His colleague's gun was apparently not used.

Police reports suggest the young woman was killed immediately. Her colleague was still alive when colleagues reached the scene, but died soon afterwards when medical responders arrived.