04-21-2008, 11:48 PM
By BRENDA GOODMAN
Published: April 22, 2008
ATLANTA ââ¬â A teenager who the authorities say planned to blow up his high school and made a tape explaining his motives appeared in a South Carolina court on Monday so a judge could appoint a lawyer to defend him.
The teenager, Ryan Schallenberger, 18, of Ruby, S.C., an honor student who was in contention to be valedictorian in his class at Chesterfield High School, was turned in by his parents after they found bomb-making supplies and a detailed plan for the attack.
Mr. Schallenberger was arrested Saturday afternoon on charges of communicating bomb threats, said Jay E. Hodge, solicitor for the Fourth Circuit in South Carolina, who is prosecuting the case.
Mr. Hodge said that he also intended to charge Mr. Schallenberger with possession of incendiary materials, a felony, and that other charges may be added as the investigation continues.
Mr. Schallenbergerââ¬â¢s parents apparently became alarmed after they picked up a package of 10 pounds of ammonium nitrate, an explosive white powder commonly used as a fertilizer in commercial farming, that was delivered to their son at a local post office.
After a search, the parents found a journal that Mr. Schallenberger had kept for more than a year detailing his plans for a suicide attack on the high school, officials said. Then they called the police.
The notebook included maps of the school and listed supplies needed to make multiple bombs. Mr. Schallenberger also left an audiotape, meant to be played after his death, explaining why he wanted to bomb the school.
Investigators did not release the contents of the tape or the journal, but they described Mr. Schallenberger as ââ¬Åan angry young manââ¬Â who seemed to ââ¬Åhate the world.ââ¬Â That seemed to be news to people in Chesterfield, a community of 1,500 people near the North Carolina border.
ââ¬ÅAbsolutely nothing else weââ¬â¢ve found in his record suggests heââ¬â¢d do this kind of thing,ââ¬Â Mr. Hodge said.
The authorities combed the high school building over the weekend but found nothing out of the ordinary. They installed metal detectors borrowed from a local courthouse. Despite the precautions, only one-fifth of the schoolââ¬â¢s 544 students showed up for class on Monday, school officials said.
ââ¬ÅThe frightening part is that all the pieces were there, the intelligence, the journal entries, the items necessary to make the bomb,ââ¬Â Mr. Hodge said. ââ¬ÅThatââ¬â¢s really upset a lot of people.ââ¬Â
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/22/us/22bomb.html?ref=us
Published: April 22, 2008
ATLANTA ââ¬â A teenager who the authorities say planned to blow up his high school and made a tape explaining his motives appeared in a South Carolina court on Monday so a judge could appoint a lawyer to defend him.
The teenager, Ryan Schallenberger, 18, of Ruby, S.C., an honor student who was in contention to be valedictorian in his class at Chesterfield High School, was turned in by his parents after they found bomb-making supplies and a detailed plan for the attack.
Mr. Schallenberger was arrested Saturday afternoon on charges of communicating bomb threats, said Jay E. Hodge, solicitor for the Fourth Circuit in South Carolina, who is prosecuting the case.
Mr. Hodge said that he also intended to charge Mr. Schallenberger with possession of incendiary materials, a felony, and that other charges may be added as the investigation continues.
Mr. Schallenbergerââ¬â¢s parents apparently became alarmed after they picked up a package of 10 pounds of ammonium nitrate, an explosive white powder commonly used as a fertilizer in commercial farming, that was delivered to their son at a local post office.
After a search, the parents found a journal that Mr. Schallenberger had kept for more than a year detailing his plans for a suicide attack on the high school, officials said. Then they called the police.
The notebook included maps of the school and listed supplies needed to make multiple bombs. Mr. Schallenberger also left an audiotape, meant to be played after his death, explaining why he wanted to bomb the school.
Investigators did not release the contents of the tape or the journal, but they described Mr. Schallenberger as ââ¬Åan angry young manââ¬Â who seemed to ââ¬Åhate the world.ââ¬Â That seemed to be news to people in Chesterfield, a community of 1,500 people near the North Carolina border.
ââ¬ÅAbsolutely nothing else weââ¬â¢ve found in his record suggests heââ¬â¢d do this kind of thing,ââ¬Â Mr. Hodge said.
The authorities combed the high school building over the weekend but found nothing out of the ordinary. They installed metal detectors borrowed from a local courthouse. Despite the precautions, only one-fifth of the schoolââ¬â¢s 544 students showed up for class on Monday, school officials said.
ââ¬ÅThe frightening part is that all the pieces were there, the intelligence, the journal entries, the items necessary to make the bomb,ââ¬Â Mr. Hodge said. ââ¬ÅThatââ¬â¢s really upset a lot of people.ââ¬Â
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/22/us/22bomb.html?ref=us