A man planted pipe bombs outside Dallas Police headquarters and sprayed the building with bullets during a wild street battle before being shot and killed in his van by a police sniper.

US authorities have confirmed the death of a suspect accused of opening fire on officers outside the Dallas police headquarters.

A US police sniper has shot the suspect in an overnight attack on Dallas police headquarters and officers are now checking to see if he is still alive.

An eight-year-old American girl who was found locked in a wardrobe and severely malnourished, was kept in a confined space for four years, a prosecutor testified during her custody hearing yesterday.