US teen held in shooting of five people: Police

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A teenager has been arrested and charged in the murder of five people, including three children, with a military-style assault rifle in the south-western United States (US) state of New Mexico, police said on Sunday.

Police said they found the bodies of an adult male and female and two girls and a boy described as "elementary to middle school-aged", dead from multiple gunshot wounds, when they arrived at an Albuquerque home late on Saturday.

Mr Aaron Williamson, a spokesman for the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office, told AFP "multiple" weapons were found at the scene, including a "military-type assault rifle" that appears to have been used in the slayings.

The police statement said a young man in his mid to late teens is in custody, charged with two counts of murder and three counts of "child abuse resulting in death". The ages and identities of the suspect and the victims were not made public.