Gameitall 
Adding to the rest of the “world is a scary place” news that you’ve probably been hearing about all week, this weekend two men were arrested after allegedly making several threats via social media against the Pokemon World Championships which was held in Boston this weekend.
The two men were arrested at a Saugus, Mass. hotel and were charged with Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Unlawful Possession of Ammunition, and other firearm-related charges. They will be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court at a later date. While the exact nature of the threat isn’t exactly clear, the Boston Police Department stated the “threats of violence made over social media to attendees.”
The Boston Police Department has released the following on the events:
“On Thursday, August 20, 2015, members of the Boston Regional Intelligence Center (BRIC) received information from private sector public safety personnel at the Hynes Convention Center at 900 Boylston Street in District D-4 (South End) regarding threats of violence made over social media to attendees of the Pokemon World Championships,” a line from the release says.
“Security officers at the Hynes, officers in District D-4, and the BRIC immediately began investigation into these threats, and hours later, the two male suspects were stopped attempting to enter the event. BRIC and D-4 Detectives responded to further investigate,” the report goes on. “Detectives were informed that the suspects had driven to the event from Iowa and were in possession of several firearms in their vehicle. The suspects could not produce a License to Carry. Officers seized the vehicle, and the suspects were released pending a search warrant.”
On Friday, August 21, detectives obtained a search warrant for the suspects’ car, and discovered the above-mentioned weapons and ammo. At this time, an arrest warrant was issued for the pair. They were later located at the unidentified Saugus hotel with the help of the Saugus Police Department and arrested.
“The relationship between police and private sector security is important in both our community policing philosophy, as well as our counter-terrorism strategy,” Boston Police Department Bureau of Intelligence and Analysis commander superintendent Paul Fitzgerald said in a statement.
“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. The BPD detectives and collaborating agencies did a great job in the stop and prevention of a potential tragedy.”
The Pokemon company also released a statement in regards to these events.:
“Prior to the event this weekend, our community of players made us aware of a security issue,” it said. “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.”
