A Manchester police photo of Afshin Zarechian, sought in a missing persons case

MANCHESTER – Police Tuesday afternoon said Afshin Zarechian, the 20-year-old man allegedly tied to “social media rumors” stemming from posts involving the University of Maine, has been located in Fryeburg, Maine.

A police spokeswoman said only that Zarechian was “safely located” by Fryeburg police and Maine state police troopers. She didn’t say whether police arrested Zarechian, or if they filed any charges against him.

Police said Monday that the search for Zarechian had become a missing persons case, and was being investigated as such.

“To this point, the investigation has not identified any criminal conduct committed by Zarechian,” the spokeswoman, Heather Hamel, wrote in the Monday statement.

The search for Zarechian began over the weekend, when University of Maine police began investigating a report of a possible threat posted to social media, and asked for tips in locating Zarechian, according to news reports.

They didn’t specify the nature of the alleged threat, or what it entailed.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.

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