FBI contacted after player says he “might shoot up” Fragadelphia event

We have all heard our fair share of crazy threats and remarks during online games. But with the world in the state that it’s in, those words can carry a threatening weight. Case in point, yesterday Droidcsgo tweeted a snapshot of the chat log in his CS:GO match, which showed a player threatening to “shoot up” Fragadelphia.

[irp posts=”29040″ name=”Police forced to act on shooting threat at Twitch HQ”]

A player in Droidcsgo’s game mentioned that they “hoped ur going to frag” to another player. That user replied with “might shoot up frag irl D:.” It’s possible that they meant this as a “joke,” but frankly, today’s world has no place for it.

Shortly after the image was tweeted, John Fazio, the CEO of Fragadelphia’s host, responded. “We take these matters seriously,” he said. “We are in the process of connecting with Faceit and alerting the FBI & local PD. We will have armed security and a police presence on site at Fragadelphia.”

Thank you for alerting us. We take these matters seriously.

We are in the process of connecting with Faceit and alerting the FBI & local PD. We will have armed security and a police presence on site at Fragadelphia.

Our priority is providing a safe gaming atmosphere for all.

— John Fazio (@jfaz) August 6, 2019

Fragadelphia is a large Counter-Strike LAN event held by N3rd Street Gamers that begins on September 13 in California. It will host thousands of people, from fans to competitors, with thousands more watching at home. After this threat, those attending will no doubt appreciate a heightened level of security.

Never again

It seems like yesterday when we all witnessed an attack on a Madden tournament in Jacksonville, Florida. It was a first for the esports community, and witnessing the video and sounds of that horrifying event is something we never want to experience again. This past weekend of mass shootings in the United States has everyone on edge, and the worry of danger at esports events is prevalent. Increased security has become extremely important in this crazy world we live in, and knowing that organizers like Fazio have that in mind is reassuring.

Were you planning to attend Fragadelphia next month? Does this sort of threat have you reconsidering? Let us know all your thoughts on this matter in the comments below.