Last month, the FBI foiled a planned mass shooting and bombing at Three Rivers Mall in Kelso, Washington, about 50 miles north of Portland off I-5, according to MyNorthwest.com.
On May 22, Columbia County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a teenager—whose name is withheld due to his age—after the FBI received a tip about the planned attack on May 19.
“This plot was as serious as it gets,” said FBI Portland Special Agent in Charge Doug Olson. “We, along with our partners, moved swiftly to interrupt this violent plan and to protect our community.”
The MyNorthwest.com report says that the suspect, a Columbia County resident, embraced a nihilistic, violent ideology and shared his plans online. Authorities placed him under surveillance.
“The suspect demonstrated the intent and means to carry out their plan, which included precise details such as a map of the mall, a route the shooter would follow, a plan to use an improvised explosive device commonly known as a chlorine bomb to incite panic, and then to shoot mall patrons as they were exiting the movie theatre before ultimately committing suicide at a pre-determined location in the mall,” the FBI said.
During a search, investigators found annotated schematics, weapons, and clothing he planned to wear, along with three handguns, ammunition, four knives, and five digital devices, according to The Oregonian.
The Columbia County District Attorney’s office is prosecuting the case.
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