+ A
A -
dpa
Mainz, Germany
Two suspects were taken into custody on Monday about 12 hours after police in western Germany began a manhunt for the killers of two of their fellow officers in the village of Ulmet.
The two suspects, aged 32 and 38, were both arrested in the town of Sulzbach.
The 38-year-old suspect came under suspicion because officers found papers belonging to him at the scene of the crime, according to police information. Described as a trader of wild game, the suspect was known to authorities because he had once fled the scene of an accident and apparently had a weapons permit.
Dpa is not identifying the suspects due to Germany’s strict privacy laws. The investigation into the crime that has shocked the country is still ongoing, authorities said.
The deaths of police officers in the line of duty is rare in Germany.
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 two officers, aged 29 and 24.
Before they died, the police officers were able to radio 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.
Mainz, Germany
Two suspects were taken into custody on Monday about 12 hours after police in western Germany began a manhunt for the killers of two of their fellow officers in the village of Ulmet.
The two suspects, aged 32 and 38, were both arrested in the town of Sulzbach.
The 38-year-old suspect came under suspicion because officers found papers belonging to him at the scene of the crime, according to police information. Described as a trader of wild game, the suspect was known to authorities because he had once fled the scene of an accident and apparently had a weapons permit.
Dpa is not identifying the suspects due to Germany’s strict privacy laws. The investigation into the crime that has shocked the country is still ongoing, authorities said.
The deaths of police officers in the line of duty is rare in Germany.
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 two officers, aged 29 and 24.
Before they died, the police officers were able to radio 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.
