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A Facebook page claiming to represent a black power group has posted messages claiming responsibility for the deaths of five police officers in Dallas.

The so-called Black Power Political Organization claimed on its Facebook account that it was behind the attack in which cops were picked out from an 'elevated position' - believed to be a multi-storey car park.

It came in the week of public outrage over the deaths of two unarmed black men shot by police.

There were initial reports there could have been up to three or four snipers involved in a co-ordinated attack during a peaceful Black Live Matter protest.

However - while two men and one women have been arrested in connection with the attacks - it's being claimed tonight that police are operating on the theory of a 'lone gunman' being responsible.

This gunman has been named as Micah Xavier Johnson, from Texas, who served with the US Army Reserve for six years and served for a time in Afghanistan.

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He was heavily-armed and killed by police - while holed up in the car park - in a robot-controlled explosive device after negotiations broke down.

Today bomb-making materials, guns and a bullet proof vest were found Johnson’s home.

Police confirmed that investigators were analysing his personal journal of combat tactics to see if it gave any indication over why he carried out the attack.

A police spokesman said: “During the search of the suspect’s home, detectives found bomb making materials, ballistic vests, rifles, ammunition, and a personal journal of combat tactics.

“Detectives are in the processing of analysing the information contained in the journal.”

Dallas Police Chief David Brown said tonight Johnson told negotiators before he died he was upset over recent police-involved shootings of African Americans and “wanted to kill white people, especially white officers."

USA Today reports an official- not authorised to comment publicly to the media - said a rifle and a handgun were recovered from the scene. The gunman was earlier said to have claimed to have planted explosives in the area which hampered the investigation.

Authorities do not believe that Johnson and three other suspects who have since been arrested are part of a larger group, the official added.

Chief Brown did not identify Johnson by name but said the shooter was not affiliated with any other groups “and stated that he did this alone.”

However, he also said: "We still don't have complete comfort that we have all the suspects."

(Image: Getty)

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said: “It is my understanding that investigators have now publicly ruled out the possibility that the individual who carried out this terrible act of violence had any sort of connections to terrorist organisations either in the United States or around the world.”

He spoke to reporters in Warsaw, where President Barack Obama had attended a NATO summit.

“I don’t think that there’s a link to any sort of terrorist conspiracy,” Earnest said.

The five dead police officers have been identified as Senior Cpl. Lorne Ahrens, 48, Officer Michael Krol, 40, Sgt. Michael J. Smith, 55, Officer Patrick Zamarripa and Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) police officer Brent Thompson, 43.

Seven police officers were injured named: Omar Cannon, 44, alongside mum Misty McBride, 32, who was shot in the arm and abdomen, and Jesus Retana, 39.

The so-called Black Power Political Organization claimed on its Facebook account that it was behind the attack and that 'more assassinations are coming'.

However, authorities in Dallas have not confirmed any political link to the shootings.

(Image: Facebook)

Little is known about the BPPO group, which had just over 300 followers on Facebook and does not appear to have any other social media accounts or presence on Google.

Its message - posted in the aftermath of the shootings - said: "‪#‎BlackPower‬! ‪#‎BlackKnights‬! Sniper Assassins Take Down Five Police Officers! And More Will Be Assassinated In The Coming Days!

"Do You Like The Work Of Our Assassins? Get Your Own Sniper Rifle And Join Our Thousands Of Sniper Assassins Worldwide In The Fight Against Oppression!”

The account has since been taken down - it is understood that the page was removed for violating Facebook's standards.

The group has posted dozens of statements on alleged racially-motivated incidents and threatening violent action over at least the several months.

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Days ago the group had left an ominous message pledging to get 'revenge' for the fatal shooting of Alton Sterling - who was shot repeatedly while being pinned to the ground in an incident captured on mobile phone footage.

A message said: "Don't worry my people! Justice will be served for Alton Sterling!

(Image: Facebook/Black Power Political Organization - BPPO) (Image: Facebook/Black Power Political Organization - BPPO)

"We contacted the police chief Carl Dabadie Jr. He already know what will happen to him, his wide Carla Settoon Dabadie, and his two sons, if he don't do what we want.

"So continue to support us, and (Black Knights) sniper assassin group."

Eye-witnesses that were at the Black Lives Matter protest last night described the moment shooting broke out and terrified demonstrators fled for cover.

One said: "A sniper just started shooting. All the cops were getting shot, I just saw cops bending over. There had to be like five or six cops all getting shot down.

"They just kept shooting them. We didn't know where it was coming from. I didn't see anybody else get shot it was just cops."

A suspect traded gunfire with police in a tense stand-off after being cornered in a parking garage before reportedly turning the gun on himself.

Another suspect reportedly told police 'the end is coming' and there are bombs 'across the city'.

At a press conference police confirmed two men and a woman have been arrested.

The two men are believed to have driven from the scene in a black Mercedes while the women was detained "nearby."

(Image: Fox) (Image: matthewkeyslive/Fox News)

Today people held a vigil in Thanksgiving Square, Dallas, to honour those that died and were injured.

Dallas Police Chief David Brown was seen praying during the vigil.

The protest massacre comes in the wake of the deaths of two black men shot dead by police within hours of each other.

Philando Catile, 32, and Alton Sterling , 37, were both killed in incidents which sparked outrage across the country.

Sterling was shot dead at point blank range after officers pinned him down amid claims he had a gun.

(Image: Getty) (Image: Getty)

Shocking mobile phone showed footage showing two officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, wrestling Mr Sterling from behind and shoving his face into the concrete on Tuesday.

They attended the scene after an anonymous caller claimed a man was threatening someone with a gun outside a shop.

(Image: PA) (Image: PA)

The two officers are seen pinning Mr Sterling down, before one suddenly shouts: "He's got a gun."

The other then pushes his gun into Mr Sterling's shoulder and yells: "Hey, bro, you f*****g move, I swear to God.”

One officer then appears to shoot him repeatedly in his chest and back.

Just a day later shocking footage emerged of a woman live streaming the aftermath of her boyfriend's shooting on Facebook Live.

The disturbing footage from Minneapolis shows Lavish Reynolds in a car, with her boyfriend ' Philando Castile ' heavily bleeding and in agony.

(Image: Reuters)

(Image: REUTERS)

A police officer, from the local force in Falcon Heights, Minneapolis - where the footage was taken on Wednesday - can be seen pointing his gun at Mr Castile, who is nursing a heavy wound in his arm.

She says: "And the officer just shot him in his arm."

Shouting, a police officer said "Ma'am, keep your hands where they are," before then adding: "F***!"

Reynolds tells her mobile phone camera "He just shot his arm off" but the officer then screams: "I told him not to reach for it! I told him to get his hand open."

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Speaking calmly, the woman responds: "You told him to get his ID, sir, you told him to get his driver's license."

At that point, her boyfriend stops moving.

She says: "Oh god, don't tell me he's dead. Please don't tell me my boyfriend just went like that... please don't tell me that he's gone.

"Please don't tell me this Lord, please Jesus don't tell me that he's gone.

"Please officer don't tell me that you just did this to him. You shot four bullets into him, sir."

The shootings triggered protests on the streets across the US at the issue of the alleged targeting of black men by police officers returned to the public consciousness.

The incidents follow a series of African-American deaths at the hands of police.

(Image: Getty) (Image: Blacklivesmatter.com)

Recent high-profile cases include Michael Brown, 18, Eric Garner, 43, and Walter Scott, 50.

US police do not publish figures on the number of people shot dead by officers but independent research shows young black men were nine times more likely to be killed by police in 2015.

Police in the US are estimated to have killed more than 130 black men this year.

Black Lives Matter are planning to carry out more protests in August as part of its 'national shutdown' of the UK.

But what is Black Lives Matter? And how has the movement taken off in the UK?