Eleven arrested in armed militia group stand off with police near Boston

Eleven heavily armed, self-professed militia members were arrested near Boston Saturday, ending an overnight stand-off that shut down a major US Interstate at the start of the Independence holiday.

The group are members of the "Rise of the Moors," a group that does not recognize American laws but professes to be peaceful.

Two of the men were taken into custody early in the morning, as officers negotiated with the leaders, seeking their peaceful surrender. Another seven were apprehended after 10am, police said in a statement.

Police remained on the scene and found two additional people. No other information was immediately available.

No shots were reported fired and no injuries were reported during the encounter, which started about 1am when a state trooper saw two cars stopped in a breakdown lane with groups of men armed with rifles and pistols standing around, police said.

The group, whose self-professed leader told police the men were traveling from Rhode Island to Maine for "training," scattered into nearby woods after police asked for their identification and gun permits. Police closed the highway 22 kilometers north of Boston, and asked local residents to "shelter in place."