Inside the most exclusive suite at the Super Bowl: Sniper's nest where police watched big game crowd through high-powered rifles

Photos have surfaced of an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officer aiming a high-powered rifle before the Super Bowl from high atop a sniper's perch in the stadium.



The images show that sharpshooters were prepared to use deadly force at the the big game Sunday, where 70,000 fans filled Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.



The pictures were posted on Facebook by U.S. Tactical Supply, an Oregon company that supplied the weapon's tripod. However, the firm later removed them, saying they sparked too much controversy from commenters who were outraged by the show of heavy weaponry.



Sniper's nest: This Indianapolis police officer had two rifles at the ready from a vantage point high above the Super Bowl

Controversy: The photos were posted on Facebook, but U.S. Tactical Supply, which sells the tripod used in the photo

The company said the photos were taken before the stadium was open and that the rifle was not loaded at the time. The rifle was not in shooting position during the game, the company added.



Spotters used binoculars and not their rifle scopes to watch the crowd.



After the photos when viral, U.S. Tactical Supply released new pictures of a half-dozen other rifles set up on rooftops surrounding the stadium.



Placing sharpshooters at the Super Bowl is not a new security procedure in the post-September 11 world of heightened police presence.



Special purpose: The rifle shown here is a highly-customized Remington 700 bolt-action rifle with a purpose-built tactical stock from XLR Industries

Prepared: Other Super Bowls have also deployed sharp shooters in and around the stadium, presumably to quickly stop security threats

Packed house: Nearly 70,000 fans filled into Lucas Oil Stadium Sunday for the big game

At last year's Super Bowl, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told CNN he built his new Cowboys Stadium with several sniper perches installed.



Ashton Kutcher posted a video in 2009 of two sharpshooters outside Raymond James Stadium for the Super Bowl in Tampa, Florida.



More snipers: New photos posted by U.S. Tactical Supply show sharpshooters were positioned outside the stadium, as well

Gear: The shooting supply company posted the photos of advertise the use of a tactical shooting tripod it sells

The Indianapolis police officer seen in the photos was not identified and his face was blurred out before the images were posted online.



The rifle int he picture is a bolt-action Remington 700 equipped with a custom-made stock from XLR Industries.

The sharpshooter in the sniper's nest was one of thousands of police officers and federal agents who descended on Indianapolis for the Super Bowl, which was viewed on TV by more than 111 million people.