A confrontation lasting several hours between a group of heavily armed people and the police on Saturday blocked Interstate 95 near Wakefield, a small town in the greater Boston area in the US state of Massachusetts. According to the police, a total of eleven people were arrested. The morning lockdown at the beginning of the weekend, which also falls on the US National Day, caused traffic problems in the region.
–
During the night, a police patrol noticed two vehicles with the hazard warning lights switched on on the hard shoulder of I-95, which apparently had run out of fuel. The inmates were armed with rifles and pistols, self-declared members of a militia on their way from Rhode Island to Maine to “train” there. According to “NBC Boston” the arrested are part of a group called “Rise of the Moors”, which does not recognize US law, but declares it to be peaceful.
–
When the police wanted to check the inmates’ personal details and gun licenses, they fled into the surrounding woods, whereupon Interstate 95 was closed and residents were asked not to leave their homes. The police negotiated with the militia for several hours. Two of the men were arrested early in the morning, and after ten o’clock the police finally managed to arrest all suspects and the street was cleared. According to official information, no shots were fired during the operation and no casualties were reported.
–
