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US police officer shot dead on MIT campus Major police operation in Boston area after shooting
(35 minutes later)
A gunman has shot dead a police officer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge near Boston, officials say. A major police operation is under way in a town outside Boston following the fatal shooting of a police officer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge.
Cambridge police say the officer was responding to a report of a disturbance in the area when he was shot and suffered "multiple wounds". Large numbers of police descended on Watertown. Witnesses reported hearing explosions and gunfire.
Television footage showed a man lying spreadeagled on the floor. Reports say a suspect is in custody.
It is not clear if there is any link to Monday's Boston Marathon bombings.
Cambridge police said the officer was responding to a report of a disturbance in the area of the MIT campus at around 22:30 (02:30 GMT) when he was shot and suffered "multiple wounds".
He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Witnesses in nearby Watertown report hearing explosions and gunfire amid a massive police hunt for the gunman. Following reports of a carjacking in the area, a major police operation then unfolded in Watertown, some six miles (10km) from Boston.
Television footage from the town, some six miles (9km) from Boston, showed one man lying spread out on the ground, holding out his arms, surrounded by police. Reporters arriving at the scene were told to turn off their mobile phones. One police officer reportedly told them: "If you want to live, turn off your cell phone."
There has been no official comment on the police operation, and whether it is linked to the shooting at the MIT campus or the bombings at the Boston Marathon on Monday. Many witnesses went on Twitter to describe hearing booms and gunfire.
The MIT campus is currently on lockdown. Television footage showed one man lying spread out on the ground, holding out his arms, surrounded by police.
A statement on the university's website says a building there is surrounded by the emergency services. Reporters said a suspect had been taken into custody.
The statement says the situation is considered "extremely dangerous". The police have not said whether the operation in Watertown is linked to either the shooting at the MIT campus or the bombings at the Boston Marathon, saying only via Twitter: "There is an active incident ongoing in Watertown. Residents in that area are advised to remain in their homes".
TV footage showed police swarming around the university's Stata Center. The MIT campus was on lockdown following the shooting, and police could be seen swarming around the university's State Center.
The university is advising students to stay clear of the area until further notice. The university later issued a statement to say the campus is now safe but urged students to "remain vigilant".
A statement from the Middlesex district attorney's office said there are no other victims and no arrests have been made, Earlier, the FBI released photos of two suspects it said it wanted to identify as part of its investigation into the bombings at the Boston Marathon that killed three people and wounded more than 170.