A teenager was detained in the Moscow region for allegedly planning an attack on a school.

The student is suspected of attempted murder and participation in Columbine.

On December 27, 2023, FSB officers detained a 15-year-old schoolboy in Yegoryevsk, who was allegedly planning an attack on local gymnasium No. 10. A criminal case was opened against him under Part 1 of Art. 30, paragraph “a”, part 2, art. 105 of the Criminal Code (attempted murder of two or more persons) and under Part 2 of Art. 205.5 of the Criminal Code (participation in the activities of a terrorist organization).

It is reported that in the phone of a teenager, a supporter of the Columbine ideology, “they found correspondence with an unknown handler who gave him advice on how to buy weapons, where to store them and how to directly carry out an attack” and that a firearm was found in his home. The investigation suggests that the student wanted to carry out the attack on January 11, after the end of the winter holidays.

Let us remember that “Columbine” is a stable term that is used to refer to massacres in educational institutions. It comes from the name of an American school where in 1999 two students - Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris - shot 13 people and committed suicide. In our opinion , although mass murders definitely require counteraction from the state, the ban on Columbine in Russia as a terrorist organization had no legal basis due to the lack of information allowing it to be considered a single organization. It is also worth noting that the actions of “school shooters” usually lack a political component, although the federal law “On Countering Terrorism” defines terrorism specifically as “the ideology of violence and the practice of influencing decision-making by public authorities,” “associated with intimidation of the population and (or ) other forms of illegal violent actions.” In addition, we consider this ban dangerous, since it can weaken preventive work with schoolchildren who are at risk.

Sources

• A ninth-grader was detained in the Moscow region who was allegedly preparing to carry out a mass shooting at a school // ASTRA. Telegram. 2023. December 28.
• A teenager was detained in the Moscow region in the case of preparing to shoot at a school // MSK1.ru. 2023. December 28.