Two suspects arrested after two police officers shot dead in Germany

FRANKFURT - Two men, 38-year-old and 31-year-old respectively, were arrested Monday afternoon on suspicion of shooting two police officers dead during a traffic control on a rural road in western Germany Monday morning, according to a press release by local authorities.

The shooting occurred at around 4:20 am in Kusel in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, after the two police officers had pulled over a car during a routine traffic stop.

The two police officers "were fatally injured by gunshots," according to the joint press release by the local public prosecutor's office and the local police headquarters.

"This terrible act leaves you stunned," tweeted Marco Buschmann, Germany's Justice Minister.

The manhunt for possible accomplices continues while the motive of the attackers remains unclear, said the authorities.