Two arrested in connection to 'Half-Blood Prince' theft
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British police have arrested two men in connection with the theft of the next instalment of the adventures of boy wizard Harry Potter, six weeks before its launch.
Police made the arrests after receiving reports of gunfire in the English city of Kettering where a journalist from the Sun newspaper reported he had met two men allegedly preparing to sell stolen copies of the new book.
J K Rowling's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, to be published July 16, has sparked massive interest.
Spokesmen for the Sun as well as the Daily Mirror newspaper said both had been contacted by someone claiming to have copies of the book.
Both newspapers said they planned to meet the man in Kettering to make sure that the books were returned to the publishers.
A Northamptonshire police spokesman said they arrested two men after being contacted about the book.
"Two books were recovered and they are currently being held in secure circumstances as evidence," said a spokesman.
Police said later that the two men arrested had both been charged with weapons offences and with handling the stolen books, though they did not confirm Sun reports that shots were fired.
-AFP
