BEVERLY, MASS. (WHDH) - Police in Beverly made an arrest following a troubling threat, also seizing illegally owned guns and ammunition.
Matthew Scouras, 34, of Beverly, was arrested at his home on Essex Street and arraigned Monday on numerous firearm charges and threats to destroy a place of worship.
Authorities said the FBI notified them that the man was making antisemitic posts online.
According to information provided by the FBI, an individual at Scouras’ address on Essex Street “posted threats to rape Jewish women and encouraged other users of the site to shoot people outside of synagogues.”
After an initial visit, police obtained a search warrant for the home; Scouras was taken into custody and held for a mental health evaluation.
“The search located numerous items in a bedroom occupied by Scouras, including a cellular telephone, two desktop computers, a Nazi flag, a 9mm Glock “ghost gun” with no serial number, six boxes of ammunition, three large-capacity rifle magazines, 11 lower receivers for various rifles, other firearm parts, scopes, pistol frames, a jig used for drilling holes into polymer pistol handles, rifle stocks, and more than $70,000 in cash,” police said.
Jeremy Yamin, with Combined Jewish Philanthropies, says his organization appreciates the partnership with local authorities.
“We’re very grateful for the quick action both of the FBI and of the Beverly Police Department,” Yamin said. “This is a both great example of federal looking at a larger level, the internet, overall, and looking at threats against Jewish institutions and much more broadly and then great coordination with a local police department — in this case, the Beverly Police Department.”
Scouras was charged with possession of a firearm without a license (12 counts), illegal possession of ammunition, possession of a large capacity feeding device, improper storage of a firearm, threats to destroy a place of worship, willful communication of a threat with a dangerous item (a firearm), and making of a firearm without a serial number.
He was arraigned Monday and is being held without bail pending a detention hearing on January 13.
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