A US teenager accused of plotting an explosive attack on his school inspired by the 1999 Columbine massacre suffered from a rare mental disorder, his mother was quoted as saying Tuesday.
Grant Acord, 17, was due in court after police found a stash of devices he was allegedly planning to use at West Albany High School in Albany, 70 miles (110 kilometers) south of Portland in the northwestern state of Oregon.
Explosives experts found pipe bombs, a napalm bomb and Molotov cocktails under the floorboards of his mother’s Albany home after being tipped off by someone at the school, KOIN television reported.
Plans, maps and diagrams of the planned attack were also found after his arrest last Thursday, according to Benton County District Attorney John Haroldson.
“In this case we would be relying upon evidence of plan… diagrams, checklists, a plan to use explosive devices and firearms to carry out a plan specifically modeled after the Columbine shootings,” he told CNN.
In the April 20, 1999 attacks, two heavily-armed students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, attacked Columbine High School in Colorado, killing 13 people and wounding 23 others before turning their guns on themselves.
Acord’s mother said her son suffers from a form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) called Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections, or PANDAS.
“My heart goes out to everyone affected by Grant’s struggle with PANDAS, a rare form of OCD,” Marianne Fox said in a statement cited by KOIN television’s website.
“I grieve for my son, but understand and support the efforts of law enforcement to keep our beloved community safe. This is a challenging and confusing time for everyone who knows Grant,” she added.
In Albany, students returned to class Tuesday after the long Memorial Day weekend.
“As you might have heard, one of our students was taken into police custody on Thursday for building explosive devices with the intent of harming our school family,” said its principal Susie Orsborn.
“Thanks to the heroic actions of a student and their family, we were all saved from a potential tragedy. Again, thanks to their fortitude and diligence we are all safe,” she added in a statement posted on the school’s website.
US student in court for 'Columbine' copycat plot
