A teenager in Columbia County, Oregon, was arrested by the FBI and local law enforcement after he conspired to conduct an improvised explosive attack and mass shooting at a mall in Washington.
The teen was arrested on Thursday, May 22, after his threats against the Three Rivers Mall, the FBI Portland Field Office said.
The FBI said it first learned of the teen’s attack plans on Monday, May 19. The juvenile was identified as a person who shared nihilistic violent extremist ideology and the plans in online chats.
The suspect was placed under court-authorized surveillance for public safety concerns, and a federal search warrant was planned and executed prior to their arrest, the FBI said.
The teenager had a map of the mall, a route the shooter would follow, and a plan to use a chlorine bomb to cause panic and then shoot mall patrons as they were exiting the movie theatre, the FBI said. The suspect’s plans included committing suicide at a predetermined location in the mall, according to the FBI.
Three pistols, four knives, and various types of ammunition were seized as part of the search warrant, authorities said.
The teen had been planning the attack since the beginning of the year, law enforcement said at a press conference.
“This plot was as serious as it gets,” said FBI Portland Special Agent in Charge Doug Olson.
Columbia County District Attorney Joshua Pond said at the press conference it was expected the teen would be charged as a juvenile.
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