Mexico City, Oct 15 (IANS/EFE): Two more police officers have been arrested in connection with the attack in August on a US embassy vehicle, bringing to 14 the number of law enforcement agents detained, an official said.

Twelve officers were initially arrested and placed in preventive detention, with two more now detained because they were present when the incident occurred and can provide statements to investigators, Mexican Attorney General Marisela Morales said in a press conference Saturday.

On Aug 24, two US embassy officials - both security experts - and a Mexican marine were shot and wounded by Federal Police officers while travelling in an armoured SUV with diplomatic plates on a road in the central state of Morelos.

The officers involved in the shooting were investigating the kidnapping of a federal official, the Public Safety Secretariat said earlier this month.

The US embassy in Mexico City initially described the incident as an "ambush".

A judge initially ordered the 12 officers held under "arraigo", a controversial instrument under which Mexican authorities can hold people linked to serious crimes for up to 80 days without formal charges.

"The investigation is very advanced and in the short-term we will be able to release the results. It has been arduous work and the conclusions will clarify what happened," Morales said.

Investigators are looking at the possibility that the deatained officers may have had links to organized crime groups, Morales said.