Horrible, horrible, horrible.

Two police officers have been killed in “ambush style attacks” in the US state of Iowa, police say.

The first officer was found shot in the Urbandale area of Des Moines at 01:06 local time (06:06 GMT) on Wednesday. The second was found 20 minutes later several blocks away.

Both were sitting in their patrol cars when they were attacked, Des Moines police said. Suspect information was being developed, the force said.

The motive for the attacks is unclear.

Police said there was a “clear and present danger” to officers in Des Moines and Urbandale.

“There’s somebody out there shooting police officers,” Sergeant Paul Parizek told reporters.