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Man Arrested In Lana Del Rey 'Kidnap Threat'

Man Arrested In Lana Del Rey 'Kidnap Threat'

Michael Hunt, a 43-year-old from Riverview, FL, was captured by cops on Friday outside of the Amway Center

Mike Wood

Mike Wood

A Florida man has been arrested and charged with stalking and attempting to kidnap pop star Lana Del Rey.

Michael Hunt, a 43-year-old from Riverview, FL, was captured by cops on Friday outside of the Amway Center in the southern US city, where Del Rey was performing.

Police in Orlando released a statement that read: "On Friday, OPD determined this was a credible threat and worked swiftly to ensure the safety of everyone involved and of everyone who attended the show. We rely on the community to call in anything suspicious.

"If it weren't for that tip, authorities might have been unaware of the threat Hunt posed."

Hunt had tickets for the concert and was in possession of a knife when he was apprehended.

Orlando police received a tip-off that he was planning his kidnap after what they described as 'cryptic and threatening' posts on social media. Hunt is a long-term criminal, with 61 previous convictions to him name.

"When he was taken into custody, Hunt was in possession of tickets to the Lana Del Rey performance and a knife," the police department later tweeted, adding that he was at no point close to Ms. Del Rey.

The attacker has subsequently been incarcerated at Orange County Jail on charges of aggravated stalking with a credible threat, and attempted kidnapping with a weapon. He has been refused bail.

Lana Del Rey, real name Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, appeared at the concert as usual and later posted to social media thanking those who came to see her.

PA

"Orlando! Fort Lauderdale! Miami! Thank you so much for coming out and making those shows totally crazy and keeping the energy high. We're all feeling super lucky after a couple of days of amazing shows, that means Atlanta, Georgia at the Phillips Arena is our next stop. Grateful." tweeted the Born To Die star.

This is not the first time that Del Rey has been targetted by members of the public. Zachary Self, a 19-year-old, was arrested in 2016 and imprisoned for three months after he broke into her Los Angeles home.

He posted images to social media of himself inside Del Ray's residence and was subsequently caught. He was later found to have been intoxicated by hallucinogens at the time.

Del Rey also took out a restraining order against two Russian fans who threatened her online and abused her in public in 2015.

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Topics: Police, US News