Acting Assistant Commissioner Clive Rust said the men lunged at officers with a knife and a tomahawk, before both were shot.
He said police knew they were in the area "and that's why CT [counter-terrorism] investigators were up here trying to locate them, identify them and speak to them". "The matter's being investigated by the homicide squad with professional services command oversight and obviously the links and any motivation - all the details of the investigation - will eventually come to light, hopefully."No police were injured but they would receive pyschological support, Mr Rust said.
"The work that the police do every day is risky and with situations involving radicalisation, terrorism, ice, drugs, people with mental health issues, confrontations, family violence – it's risky work our members do and they do a wonderful job."