December 6–12, 2019  Brooklyn Paper • www.BrooklynPaper.com • (718) 260-2500 AWP  9 
 GAME ON 
 E-sports venue opening in  
 Bushwick space next year 
 ISIS threat hits home in the kitchen of your mom,”  
 Man allegedly attempting to spark attacks 
  
  
  
 By Kevin Duggan 
 Brooklyn Paper 
 Lets the games begin! 
 A  new  gaming  center  
 dubbed  BrookLAN  will  
 open inside a former Bushwick  
 warehouse next year,  
 offering  gamers  access  to  
 top-of-the-line  computers  
 and  consoles  in  the  hopes  
 of finding Brooklyn’s next  
 e-sport legend, according to  
 one of the masterminds behind  
 the project. 
 “We’re hoping that people  
 who want to come in to play  
 more casual games hopefully  
 catch that e-sports bug,” said  
 BrookLAN’s head of gaming  
 Alec Polsley. 
 Polsley and a team of developers  
 are  aiming  to  revamp  
 the former manufacturing  
 space on the corner  
 of Irving Avenue and Troutman  
 Street by early spring  
 of 2020, which will house a  
 so-called “LAN center” with  
 some 30 computers, and an  
 event space that holds around  
 100 people with a stage for  
 competitions of popular esports  
 titles, such as Fortnite,  
 Overwatch, Counter-Strike,  
 and Rocket League. 
 The space will also feature  
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 a bar,  kitchen and gaming  
 consoles near the entrance,  
 along with rooms for teams  
 to practice on six machines  
 and another section devoted  
 to live-streaming and podcast  
 recording, according to  
 Polsley. 
 Polsley hopes to also host  
 sessions for tabletop games,  
 such as Dungeons and Dragons, 
  along with classic games  
 like  the  2007  first-person  
 shooter Halo 3. 
 The arsenal of high-powered  
 PCs could also be used  
 for educational events such  
 as classes on programming  
 and game design, according  
 to Polsley. 
 E-sports has become increasingly  
 popular in the borough, 
  with several massive  
 gaming events  at Barclays  
 Center and a pop-up arena  
 in Boerum Hill. 
 But  Kings  County  controller  
 jockeys  have  long  
 had  to venture  to Manhattan  
 or  distant  New  Jersey  
 in search of similar gaming  
 venues, according to Polsley,  
 and the entrepreneur hopes  
 the Bushwick venue will become  
 a new home for e-athletes  
 across the city. 
 Preliminary renderings courtesy of SA-DA Architecture 
 An e-sports venue will open in Bushwick under the  
 name BrookLAN next year. An event space with  
 room for 100 people will host e-sports tournaments. 
 By Jessica Parks 
 Brooklyn Paper 
 Police arrested a Brooklyn  
 man last week for allegedly  
 publishing ISIS propaganda  
 and bomb-making instructions  
 in  an  effort  to  incite  
 terrorist attacks in New York  
 City.  
 “The defendant allegedly  
 provided instructions for how  
 to plan attacks on US soil,  
 encouraging ISIS supporters  
 to attack in well-populated  
 locations,” said Assistant Attorney  
 General John C. Demers. 
  “The National Security  
 Division is committed  
 to  identifying and holding  
 accountable those who support  
 foreign terrorist organizations  
 and pose a threat to  
 our communities.” 
 The  suspect    allegedly  
 pledged allegiance  to ISIS  
 twice, first in July and a second  
 time in October, according  
 to prosecutors.  
 In March, the 40-year-old  
 began posting  ISIS  propaganda  
 — including calls to  
 commit independent terrorist  
 attacks in the metro area  
 — to encrypted chatrooms  
 with the intention to reach  
 members,  associates,  supporters, 
  and potential ISIS  
 recruits. 
 The  defendant  purportedly  
 disseminated instructions  
 on  how  to  conduct  a  
 terrorist attack and how to  
 select  a  target  to  attack  in  
 an Aug. 3 post, court documents  
 said. 
 Other  posts  featured  titles  
 including    “Knife Attacks” 
   and  “Make  a  bomb  
 prosecutors claim.   
 The  Brooklyn  resident  
 faces  charges  of  attempting  
 to provide material support  
 for ISIS and distributing  
 information relating to  
 explosives, destructive devices, 
  and weapons of mass  
 destruction — both of which  
 carry maximum sentences of  
 20 years if convicted.  
 “Today’s arrest in Brooklyn  
 is a reminder that New  
 York City remains a top terrorism  
 target in the United  
 States,” said former NYPD  
 Commissioner  James  P.  
 O’Neill.  “The  NYPD  and  
 all of our law-enforcement  
 partners remain vigilant in  
 this ongoing fight against terror  
 and anyone who would  
 plot to do us harm.” 
 “The e-sports scene over  
 the last couple of years has  
 definitely grown,” he said.  
 “We hope to have a tournament  
 circuit going on for the  
 community.” 
 
				
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