Two Pokémon World Championship players have been arrested by Boston police, after finding illegally owned firearms in the players’ car.

27-year-old James Stumbo and 18-year-old Kevin Norton - both from Iowa - traveled together to the event attended by around 5000 fans, armed with a 12-gauge shotgun, an AR-15, several hundred rounds of ammunition and a hunting knife. All of which were illegally obtained.

Thankfully, they were denied entry to the event after other Pokémon fans spotted boasts from them on Facebook, showing off their weapons and threatening the community attending the Pokémon World Championships with violence. The vigilant fans tipped off The Pokémon Company, who in turn alerted the Police and staff at the event in order to avert any harm being done.

The pair were arrested in their hotel on Friday without incident after Police obtained a search warrant and found their weapons. Both have been charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition and other firearm related offenses and are due to face a judge today.

“Prior to the event this weekend, our community of players made us aware of a security issue. 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,” The Pokémon Company said in a statement issued to the press.

“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.”