Two teenage girls accused of planning a “mass casualty attack” to bomb and shoot up a Houston-area high school were arrested, authorities said.
The girls, 15 and 16, were taken into custody Tuesday, about 30 minutes after law enforcement was made aware of the threat, said Spring Branch Independent School District Police Chief Larry Baimbridge.
Their names were not released by authorities because they are minors.
The FBI field office in Houston said it had received information “that two underage teenagers from the Houston area were plotting a mass casualty attack” at Memorial High School in the Houston suburb of Hedwig Village.
The alleged threat involved the girls using guns and placing pipe bombs at the school, NBC affiliate KPRC of Houston reported. The 16-year-old is assigned to Memorial but was attending an alternative district school for students who fall behind, Baimbridge said. After catching up, she could have returned to Memorial. The 15-year-old is a Willis High School student.
Baimbridge said law enforcement had received “communications” that indicated the girls were plotting the attack. He said the “specificity” of those communications is why law enforcement acted so fast.
“When you read the context of the communication, it’s pretty obvious this is well beyond just throwing some ideas around,” he said. “This was a very clear plan.”
The chief said he believes the girls had been planning the attack for “many weeks, if not months,” and in recent days, “it started ramping up.”
When asked about a possible motive, the chief said: “The only thing I was able to ascertain was there was just an overall disdain for her fellow students.”
Willis Independent School District in Montgomery County said it was made aware of the incident Wednesday.
“We are so grateful to the FBI and other law enforcement agencies that work together to keep students across the nation safe from those who intend to harm others,” the district said in a statement. “This incident affirms the importance of awareness and vigilance in protecting our students and staff.”
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said additional security measures were implemented at district schools.
“We are treating this matter with the utmost urgency and commitment, as threats of violence in our schools will not be tolerated,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
The 16-year-old was charged with making a terroristic threat, a third-degree felony. The 15-year-old was in custody on unrelated charges.