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Massachusetts State Police have identified eight of the 11 men who were arrested following a nine-hour standoff that closed part of Interstate 95 in both directions over the holiday weekend.
The suspected militiamen, who authorities say are members of the Rise of the Moors group which adheres to “Moorish sovereign ideology”, have each been charged with eight counts of illegal possession of a firearm, illegal possession of ammunition, use of bulletproof vests in the commission of a crime, possession of a large capacity magazine, improper storage of a firearm in a vehicle and conspiracy to commit a felony.
Their arraignment will take place next week in Malden District Court.
MASSACHUSETTS POLICE ARRESTS 11 MEN AFTER ASSEMBLY WITH ARMED GROUP WHICH “DOESN’T RECOGNIZE OUR LAWS”
Traffic on Interstate 95 is diverted into the area of a long standoff with a group of gunmen who partially closed the freeway on Saturday, July 3, 2021, in Wakefield, Massachusetts. Massachusetts State Police said nine suspects had been arrested. . (AP Photo / Michael Dwyer)
ARMED GROUP WITH POLICE SAYS THEY ARE THE “INDIGENOUS PEOPLE” OF AMERICA
None of the men, who were dressed in military fatigues and bulletproof vests and armed with long guns and pistols, had a license to carry firearms in Massachusetts. The standoff began early Saturday when a Massachusetts State Police soldier pulled over to offer assistance to two vehicles he found with their dangers around 1:30 a.m. on the edge from the freeway in the town of Wakefield. Police later said the vehicles were refueling.
The soldier called for reinforcements and most of the group moved into the nearby woods until they surrendered to a police tactical team just after 10 a.m. The standoff closed Interstate 95 in the area over the busy holiday weekend and some area residents were asked to shelter in place. .
The group told police they were traveling from Rhode Island to Maine for “training.” The soldiers recovered three AR-15 rifles, two pistols, a bolt-action rifle, a shotgun, and a short-barreled shotgun. Massachusetts State Police said in a statement on Saturday that “additional charges are possible if the ongoing investigation, including the scheduled search of the two vehicles of the defendants, determines they are warranted.”
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During the clash, a member of the group broadcast on a social media account of the group “Rise of the Moors” that he was neither anti-government nor anti-police. The group’s website says they are “Moorish Americans dedicated to educating new Moors and influencing our Elders.” The group’s Facebook, YouTube and Instagram accounts were taken offline Sunday morning, the Boston Herald reported.
Those identified by state police include Jamhal Tavon Sanders Latimer, aka Jamhal Talib Abdullah Bey, 29, of Providence, RI; Robert Rodriguez, 21, from the Bronx, New York; Wilfredo Hernandez, aka Will Musa, 23, from the Bronx, New York; Alban El Curraugh, 27, from the Bronx, New York; Aaron Lamont Johnson, aka Tarrif Sharif Bey, 29, of Detroit, Michigan; Quinn Cumberlander, 40, of Pawtucket, RI; Lamar Dow, 34, from the Bronx, New York; and Conrad Pierre, 29, of Baldwin, NY. Authorities have not named the 17-year-old who was also arrested, and two other men have so far refused to identify themselves.
The 17-year-old will be released into parental custody, while the other adult defendants will each be held at Billerica Correctional House on $ 100,000 cash bond. Hernandez, Johnson, Dow and the miner also face one count of providing police with a false name.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Danielle Wallace is a digital reporter for Fox News and FOX Business. Follow her on Twitter at @danimwallace. If you have any advice, you can email them at [email protected].
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