Several guns seized from Redmond man after 'concerning Twitter posts' for 'Joker' movie

REDMOND, Wash. -- A 23-year-old Redmond man who police say made "concerning Twitter posts posing with weapons and referencing the Joker movie" has had several guns -- including two assault weapons -- removed from his home as part of an "Extreme Protection Order," Redmond police said.

Investigators became aware of the posts last week, including one dated Sept. 26 showing the man holding two AK-47 guns -- one in each hand, pointing skyward, fingers on triggers. The caption on the photo read: "One ticket for joker please," according to Redmond police.

The post comes as U.S. officials had issued warnings about the potential for mass shootings at the movie, which opened on Thursday to increased security around the Seattle-area movie theaters. FBI intelligence officials had uncovered social media posts related to extremists classified as 'incels' -- short for "involuntary celibate" -- and the man had been claiming to be one of them.

Investigators learned that the man had previous disturbing and threatening social media posts toward women in 2017, according to Redmond police's petition for being granted an Extreme Protection Order.