German police have arrested two suspects following the shooting of two officers in Kusel early on Monday morning. Investigations are still ongoing, with authorities saying they cannot rule out the possibility of there being other accomplices. 

Two men arrested in Saarland following deaths of police officers

Following the shooting early on Monday morning that left two police officers dead in Kusel, Rhineland-Palatinate, police made two arrests on Monday afternoon. A 38-year-old man, named as Andreas S, was arrested in Saarland, over 35 kilometres from the shooting, following a manhunt. Another man, aged 32, was later arrested in the same area. Among other things, weapons were seized during police searches. 

Andreas S’s picture had been released on Monday afternoon after investigators reportedly found documents identifying him at the scene of the crime. He later turned himself in to the police after making contact via his lawyer. At 5.30pm, the state prosecutor in Kaiserslautern said that another 32-year-old individual had been arrested. 

A police spokesperson said the suspects would be questioned to “reveal if there are other perpetrators.” So far, the 38-year-old suspect has not made any statement and will be brought before a judge on Tuesday. Both suspects are reportedly German citizens.

Germany in shock over violent killing

Early on Monday morning, at around 4.20am, two police officers, aged 24 and 29, were shot dead during a routine traffic stop in Kusel, near Kaiserslautern. The officers reported finding dead game in the car they had pulled over, police sources have confirmed, and then radioed in shortly afterwards to tell colleagues, “They’re shooting.”

The shooting was met with shock across Germany, where police officers rarely die in the line of duty. In response to the killing, the state of Saarland flew flags at half mast. Germany’s Federal Interior Minister said the killings reminded her of “an execution.” 

Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote on Twitter that he was “deeply saddened by what happened in Kusel.” He added, “My sympathies go out to the families of the two young victims. And I am thinking of the many police officers who risk their lives every day to protect us citizens.”