Law enforcement sources said the suspects have international links and have been in the country legally for about a year.
The suspects approached the MIT officer and shot him in head, the sources said. The two then stole the MIT officer's cruiser, robbed a nearby 7-11 and carjacked a Mercedes SUV, briefly kidnapping the driver, the sources said. At various points, the suspects threw explosives out the window of the moving car.
The dead suspect had an improvised explosive device strapped to his chest and the law enforcement sources warned that the suspect on the run may as well.