Pokemon World Championship Terror Attack Stopped, Two Men Arrested [Breaking]
A terror attack on the Pokemon World Championships, being held at the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts, was stopped by the Boston Police Department on Thursday, according to a report from My Fox Boston. Information on the attempted terror attack only recently became available.
In a press release, the Boston Police Department indicated that they had become aware of threats made on social media and were able to stop the suspects as they attempted to enter the Convention Center several hours later.
The two men were not arrested at the time, but after obtaining a search warrant, detectives discovered that the men had traveled from Iowa with several unlicensed weapons, including a 12-gauge shotgun and an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, several hundred rounds of ammunition, and a hunting knife.
Arrest warrants were issued and the two men, 18-year-old Kevin Norton and 27-year-old James Stumbo, were taken into custody on Friday at their hotel in Saugus.
Further reports from Kotaku indicate that both Norton and Stumbo were invitees for the event’s “masters division” championships for the Pokemon Trading Card Game. Kotaku also reports that it was private security at the Hynes Convention Center, not police, who initially stopped the suspects, having also been made aware of the online threats.
The Inquisitr will continue to follow this story as it develops, and update as more information becomes available.
Update: According to a report from FoxCT, the men will be arraigned at Boston Municipal Court. BPD Bureau of Intelligence and Analysis Commander Superintendent Paul Fitzgerald praised local investigators in a statement.
“Boston detectives and collaborating agencies did a great job in the stop and prevention of a potential tragedy.”
Update no. 2: As per the BPD, the pair have been charged with Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Unlawful Possession of Ammunition, and other firearm related charges.
“The relationship between police and private sector security is important in both our community policing philosophy, as well as our counter-terrorism strategy. This incident is a good example of private security reaching out to their local Boston police district and relaying information to detectives and BRIC analysts in order to identify the very real threat.”
Update no. 3: Heavy is claiming to have retrieved pictures of Norton and Stumbo from Youtube/Facebook.
Update no. 4: Pokemon Company International has issued a statement, Heavy.com reports.
“Prior to the event this weekend, our community of players made us aware of a security issue. We gathered information and gave it as soon as possible to the authorities at the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center who acted swiftly and spearheaded communication with the Boston Police Department. Due to quick action, the potential threat was resolved. The Pokémon Company International takes the safety of our fans seriously and will continue to ensure proper security measures are a priority.”
[Image courtesy of the Boston Police Department]
