Selangor police chief Hussein Omar Khan said two teams of officers from Bukit Aman’s criminal investigation division and their counterparts from the Perak police headquarters had tailed a suspicious car.

“When the suspects realised that they were being followed, they attempted to flee and headed onto the North-South Expressway, heading north,” he said in a statement.

The police pursued the men until they reached the Tanjung Malim rest stop and managed to stop their car.

“During the incident, the suspects fired several shots at the police. The police returned fire until the situation was secure,” he said.

Both men were found dead in the car.

Hussein said one of the suspects had a criminal record for 23 offences,  while the other was still being identified.

He said the police were tracking down six other suspects.

The case is being investigated under Section 307 of the Penal Code for attempted murder and Section 8 of the Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act 1971 for unlawful possession of firearms.