Brazilian authorities arrest a teenager who planned an attack on a high school: the suspect, 17, was inspired by the Columbine massacre
- A 17-year-old boy was arrested in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Friday after police discovered that he was planning to shoot up a high school.
- The suspect told authorities that he admired and was inspired by the two shooters responsible for the Columbine school massacre.
- Authorities also searched the home of a second teenager who reportedly shared videos about the plot on social media.
Brazilian authorities foiled a shooting at a Rio de Janeiro school that was to take place on the anniversary of the Columbine massacre.
Police entered the school and arrested a suspicious teenager outside the school on Friday morning, the Rio de Janeiro Civil Police said in a statement.
The 17-year-old, whose name has not been released, allegedly planned to kill students and teachers, whom he threatened in online videos.
The teen told police he admired and was inspired by the April 20, 1999 incident that left 13 people dead at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado.
Authorities arrested a 17-year-old boy in Rio de Janeiro on Friday after Interpol alerted Brazilian police of their plans to attack a school on April 20, the 24th anniversary of the Columbine massacre.
The teenager told Brazilian authorities that he admired and was inspired by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who murdered 12 students and a teacher at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, on April 20, 1999.
Police also searched the home of a second teenager, who allegedly shared the suspect’s videos on social media.
“This is a very delicate case, which the police are taking very seriously,” said Marcus Vinicius Braga, head of the Commission for the Protection of Children and Adolescents. ‘The (Federal Police) came to us based on an alert from Interpol. Between the diligence and the apprehension there were 24 hours. This minor, now an adolescent offender, committed the act of terrorism.’
Brazilian police found out about the plot after receiving an alert from Interpol and detained the teenager within 25 hours.
The suspect also declared himself a Nazi, investigations revealed.
Brazilian police are investigating whether the teenager linked to the high school shooting is linked to any terrorist groups in the South American country.
The teen said he received help from three friends and had investigated the Columbine school shooting.
The teen planned to carry out the attack on April 20, which would have marked the 24th anniversary of the shooting and attempted bombing at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado.
The teenager said that he received help from three friends and that he had investigated the massacre.
Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold murdered 12 students and a teacher at the Colorado school.
A total of 21 people were injured in the shooting and three others sustained injuries while trying to escape from the school.
Ten of the students were killed inside a library where Harris and Klebold committed suicide.