Potential "Las Vegas-style shooting" plot thwarted in U.S. city Denver

LOS ANGELES, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Local police feared a "Las Vegas-style shooting" could happen if they had not arrested four suspects Friday night at a hotel in downtown of Denver, capital city of the U.S. state of Colorado, just before this year's Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game week.

According to local ABC affiliate Denver7 news channel, after receiving a tip from a housekeeper working at a hotel not far from Coors Field stadium, where the MLB All-Star game will be held, police executed a search warrant and found 16 long guns, more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition and body armor inside a room on the eighth floor.

In total, three men and one woman were arrested Friday night, along with two vehicles which were also impounded to be processed for possible evidence, the report said, adding one of the suspects had posted a message on Facebook referencing a recent divorce and saying he was going to "go out in a big way."

So-called "Las Vegas-style shooting" referred to the mass shooting occurred at the Route 91 Harvest music festival on Oct. 1, 2017.

In the tragedy, 64-year-old white man Stephen Paddock opened fire on the crowd attending the music festival. He fired more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition from his 32nd floor suites in the Mandalay Bay Hotel neighboring to the concert place, killing about 60 people and injuring over 800.

Major League Baseball is an American professional baseball organization and the oldest of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. It was expected that up to 100,000 fans would come to Denver for the annual All-Star Game from Friday to Tuesday.

Richard Platt, 42, one of the four suspects arrested in Friday's operation, appeared in court Sunday, the report said. The judge set bail at 50,000 U.S. dollars. Platt was investigated for possession of weapon by a previous offender, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, and a warrant from another jurisdiction.

The other three suspects were scheduled to appear in court Monday.

However, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) released a statement on Sunday, saying they were not aware of any threats to the MLB All-Star Game.

"We have no reason to believe this incident was connected to terrorism or a threat directed at the All-Star Game. We are not aware of any threat to the All-Star Game events, venues, players, or the community at this time," the statement read.

Denver Police Department (DPD) noted in a statement on Sunday that the investigation was active and ongoing, and called on people knowing related information to contact the authorities.