This photo provided by Massachusetts State Police shows police blocking off a section of Interstate 95 near Wakefield, Mass., on Saturday, July 3, 2021. (Massachusetts State Police via AP)
Police in Massachusetts have said a standoff situation has come to an end, involving a group of “heavily armed individuals.” Reports said the men fled into the woods about 15 miles north of Boston after a traffic stop Saturday morning. The standoff lasted for 9 hours.
The men were reportedly armed with handguns and rifles. They have identified themselves as “Moorish American Arms” who were traveling from Rhode Island to Maine for “training.”
This prompted police to close down a section of the interstate and issue a shelter-in-place order for nearby communities.
Two additional suspects were located in their vehicles, bringing the total number of those arrested to 11 (two initially on North Avenue and nine outside and inside the vehicles) https://t.co/YAXzKlW6Yl
— Mass State Police (@MassStatePolice) July 3, 2021
Col. Christopher Mason of the Massachusetts State Police said, “the self-professed leader wants it very much known that their ideology is not anti-government. I think the investigation that follows from this interaction will provide us with more insight into what their motivation, what their ideology is.”
11 men in total have since been taken into custody by the State Police Special Tactical Operations Team. The investigation is ongoing with police sweeping both the group’s vehicles and the nearby area.
The shelter-in place order has since been lifted.
Source: One America News Network
