Police arrest US suspected assassin of politicians gunned down in their homes

A man suspected of carrying out shootings at the homes of two politicians and killing one in what was described as a "politically-motivated assassination," has been apprehended by police after a 'large-scale' manhunt.

Suspect Vance Boelter, 57, was tracked by teams of law enforcement officers with drones into a woodland in Sibley County, Minnesota, an hour's drive from Minneapolis, where police allege he gunned down two politicians and their spouses on Saturday morning.

The deadly shooting killed both Democratic lawmaker Melissa Hortman, 55, and her husband Mark, 58, at one address. Shortly after, Minnesota State Sen. John Hoffman, 60 and his wife Yvette were shot 17 times at an address just five miles away, with both miraculously surviving after extensive surgery.

Police said the suspect, who wore a latex mask, pretended to be a member of law enforcement to get them to open their doors. The state's Governor Tim Walz said the assassinations and attempted assassinations, targeting two of the top legislators in Minnesota's House and Senate, had been politically motivated.

Initial reports of police radio chatter indicated that Boelter was tracked through woodland roughly 60 miles away from Minneapolis. When officers flew a drone over his head, he put his hands in the air and walked towards a waiting SWAT vehicle.

The 57-year-old who evaded police for days after allegedly carrying out the high-profile assassination is an employee of Praetorian Guard Security, where Boelter worked as director of security patrols.

The company's website indicates that Boelter, who escaped the scene on foot, had received US military training.

Governor Walz has announced a press conference in the wake of the arrest, which shocked the US with the apparent simplicity of the attack and the inability of the authorities to immediately locate the suspect.

After coming out of surgery, Sen. Hoffman's wife Yvette became the first of the victim's to speak, sharing the horrific injuries they had suffered and their heartbreak.

She said: "John is enduring many surgeries right now and is closer every hour to being out of the woods.

"He took 9 bullet hits. I took 8 and we are both incredibly lucky to be alive.

"We are gutted and devastated by the loss of Melissa and Mark. We have no words. There is never a place for this kind of political hate."