Two men armed with loaded guns arrested near vote-counting centre in Philadelphia, US
- The men travelled from Virginia and did not have permits to carry the weapons in Pennsylvania, police said
- They were arrested after the FBI in Virginia relayed a tip about their plans to Philadelphia police
Two men armed with loaded handguns were arrested on Thursday near the Pennsylvania Convention Centre in Philadelphia, US where an ongoing vote count could decide the presidential election, police said.
Joshua Macias, 42, and Antonio LaMotta, 61, travelled from the Virginia Beach, Virginia, area in a Hummer and did not have permits to carry the weapons in Pennsylvania, police said.
They were arrested after the FBI in Virginia relayed a tip about their plans to Philadelphia police. Officers stopped the men on the street about a block away from the vehicle, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said.
Macias had a .40-calibre Beretta handgun inside his jacket, LaMotta had a 9mm Beretta in a holster and an AR-style rifle and ammunition were found inside the vehicle, Outlaw said. Authorities initially said that the rifle did not have a serial number but later said that it did.
A silver Hummer with Virginia number plates was parked on Friday at the location where police say they found the men. It was adorned with an American flag and a window sticker for the right-wing conspiracy theory QAnon.
A woman with the men was not arrested, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said.