The Associated Press

FREDERICK, Md. -- Two men wanted for questioning in the wave of deadly sniper attacks were arrested early Thursday after they were found sleeping in their car at a Maryland rest stop, authorities said.

The arrests raised hopes of a conclusion to the intensive and often frustrating investigation of the shootings that have killed 10 people and critically wounded three others since Oct. 2 in the Washington, D.C., area.

The men were not immediately charged in the attacks, but authorities made clear the arrests were considered pivotal.

Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose, who is leading the investigation, had said John Allen Muhammad, 42, was being sought for questioning in the slayings and called him "armed and dangerous." Muhammad was said to be traveling with a juvenile, identified by a law enforcement source as 17-year-old Lee Malvo.

The relationship between the teen and Muhammad, who also goes by the name John Allen Williams, was not clear, but several newspapers reported that Malvo is Muhammad's stepson.

A law enforcement source close to the investigation told The Associated Press that "I'm confident that these are indeed the people" sought in the killings.