Teen charged over terror plot 'inspired by Columbine school killings shared plans in horror diary'
Two teens, allegedly inspired by the Columbine school massacre, planned to “kill everyone” at their Yorkshire school, and wanted to ‘play god’ by choosing ‘who lives or dies,’ a court has heard.
The two boys, now aged 15 and who cannot be named for legal reasons, were arrested by counter-terrorism police over the alleged plot in the town of Northallerton in north England. Leeds Crown Court heard that the older of the two boys detailed his graphic animations to kill in a 'diary of horrors', which described his adoration for mass murderers including the Columbine shooters and Charles Manson.
“F***, I hate my school. I will obliterate it. I will kill everyone,” the teen allegedly wrote in October. “I have a plan, a great f***ing plan.”
The court also heard that the boy detailed his plans to “lay low” in Catterick before murdering his ex-girlfriend’s parents and stealing her father’s guns, according to his journal.
“I’ll make some explosives then well (sic) find a way back to Northallerton and well begin our assault on that f****** school,” the diary reads. “I just want to kill every single one of you f***ers.
"Everyone is filthy and deserve to be shot, including me. I’ll play the role of god and decide who a let live and die. Humans are a vile species which needs to die out.”
The boy, who was 14 when he allegedly wrote the horrific entries, included an entry that said: “Sorry if this is found I have committed one of the worst atrocities in British history or I killed myself.”
The younger boy, also charged over the terror plot, is alleged to have confessed some of the details to school staff, however investigators took no action until a specialist counter-terrorism team took over the investigation. It was then that the two teens were arrested.
Prosecutor Paul Greaney QC said investigators discovered a hideout in Catterick Garrison that contained "various items, including materials that were capable of being used in bomb-making." He told the court that the boy’s plan was “no teenage fantasy; it was real,” he said.
“They intended a re-enactment of the Columbine High School Massacre although fortunately, in the result, they were stopped before their plans were put into action. In that attack, they intended to shoot and kill other pupils and teachers against whom they held a grievance,” Greaney said.
"They also, like their heroes, intended to deploy explosives and researched bombing-making techniques to that end."
Both teens deny conspiracy to murder. The younger teen claimed his friend “was serious about the mass killing," yet he was not. The older one has said that “no-one was serious about any of it."
The older boy also pleaded not guilty to unlawfully wounding his girlfriend and aggravated burglary of her parents' house. Prosecutors said the older teen and the girl started a relationship in June 2017 and he later carved his name into her back.
The trial continues and is expected to last four weeks.
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