Police have arrested two suspects in connection with the shooting and killing of two police officers during a traffic stop in southwestern Germany, authorities said on Tuesday.

The two men, aged 38 and 32, were involved in illegal hunting of wild animals in this region, German prosecutors told a news conference in Kaiserslautern.

The suspects were out that night for poaching, they fired at police officers during a traffic stop in Kusel, and then fled from the area, chief prosecutor Stefan Orthen said.

During searches in a vehicle used by the suspects, a large number of poached wild animals have been found, he added.

Kaiserslautern’s police chief Frank Gautsche said the suspects had no political motivation or ties to any far-right groups, according to preliminary investigation.

Two police officers, aged 24 and 29, were shot dead during the incident in Kusel in the early hours of Monday morning.