Wakefield, Massachusetts - Police were in a standoff with a heavily armed militia group in Wakefield Massachusetts and have shut down Rt.95. Members of SWAT converged on the parking lot of the 99 restaurant in Stoneham, as the police have issued a shelter in place order to local residents. The men are calling themselves the Rise of the Moors and State Police said that they claim that they do not recognize our laws, but videos posted to social media by the group show them saying that they are not Anti Government or Anti Law and are citing that they have not broken any laws. Two suspects were arrested initially and police arrested 9 more of the heavily armed group, armed to the teeth with tactical gear, long guns and handguns, once the standoff de-escalated.
State Police Col. Christopher Mason told reporters earlier in the morning that one of his troopers saw some vehicles in the breakdown lane at 1:30 a.m. Saturday, and pulled over to see what was going on. The trooper saw that the group of “eight to 10” people, dressed to the nines in “military-style” tactical gear and armed to the teeth with long guns and handguns, was refueling their two vehicles, he said. The trooper asked the men for their drivers licenses and licenses to carry, which the men either didn’t have or didn’t provide, he said. State Police Col. Christopher Mason said, according to ABC News: "They told officials they were on their way to Maine from Rhode Island for training."
The standoff ended peacefully with 11 men being taken into custody.
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