Two schoolboys arrested as police uncover plot for ‘Columbine’ style atrocity
Boys’ homes targeted in dawn raids by police officers from North East Counter Terrorism unit
TWO 14-year-old boys have been arrested amid allegations they were plotting a Columbine-style school attack.
The teenagers were detained in raids on their homes in the market town of Northallerton, North Yorks, and were last night being questioned on suspicion of plotting a massacre.
The boys are understood to be pupils at Northallerton School, a mixed secondary and sixth form college, where a spokesman for the local council confirmed that staff and pupils were assisting police.
The boys were being held on “suspicion of preparing for an act of terrorism” under Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006, but it is understood police have not established links to any known terror organisations.
They were arrested on Saturday morning at their family homes two miles apart and were taken to a police station in West Yorks for questioning.
One of the teenagers lives with his father and younger brother in a smart well-kept home off an affluent treelined street. A neighbour said: “There were about 10 police cars, including unmarked cars here on Saturday from 8am until after midnight. It was a very big operation and they appeared to be searching the house, the garage, the garden and car.”
The second arrest took place at a property in a village on the outskirts of Northallerton. A neighbour there said: “There were four police cars and a van parked here all weekend. They seemed to be searching a house. The family have a son who is around 14.”
Police also searched a disused garage in the Romanby area of Northallerton, where locals claimed youngsters had been congregating. Sources said counter-terror specialists were treating the plot seriously, but it was unclear how far the alleged plans had progressed.
A North Yorks Police spokesman said they were supporting the North-east Counter Terrorism Unit with its investigations and searches. “Officers believe this is an isolated incident and the wider community is not at risk,” he said. “We appreciate the cooperation of local residents as this investigation continues.”
A spokesman for the North East Counter Terrorism Policing unit said the unit had been granted a further warrant of detention to continue questioning the two boys. The spokesman said police had searched houses in the Northallerton area.
“These include searches at three residential properties, which have now concluded,” he added.
At Columbine High, Colorado, students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold murdered 12 students and a teacher, and injured 24 others in a carefully planned shooting in 1999.