AP

German teen detained in suspected school attack plot

May 11, 2022, 4:25 PM | Updated: May 12, 2022, 5:28 am

Police officers carry objects, including several stabbing weapons and spears, from the suspect's ho...

Police officers carry objects, including several stabbing weapons and spears, from the suspect's home in Essen, Germany, Thursday, May 12, 2022. Police in the western German city of Essen seized weapons from the apartment of a 16-year-old student allegedly plotting an attack on a local school. Local police said Thursday that officers searched the suspect’s apartment overnight and found spears and other sharp weapons. (David Young/dpa via AP)

(David Young/dpa via AP)


              Police vehicles are parked in front of the Don Bosco High School in Essen, Germany, Thursday, May 12, 2022. Police in the western German city of Essen seized weapons from the apartment of a 16-year-old student allegedly plotting an attack on a local school. Local police said Thursday that officers searched the suspect’s apartment overnight and found spears and other sharp weapons. (David Young/dpa via AP)
            
              Police officers carry objects, including several stabbing weapons and spears, from the suspect's home in Essen, Germany, Thursday, May 12, 2022. Police in the western German city of Essen seized weapons from the apartment of a 16-year-old student allegedly plotting an attack on a local school. Local police said Thursday that officers searched the suspect’s apartment overnight and found spears and other sharp weapons. (David Young/dpa via AP)

BERLIN (AP) — A 16-year-old student was detained in Germany for allegedly plotting an attack on a local secondary school in the western city of Essen after police seized weapons and bomb-making materials from his apartment, authorities said Thursday.

An overnight search of the suspect’s apartment yielded bomb-making materials and large amounts of right-wing extremist, antisemitic and anti-Muslim writings in the teen’s possession, state interior minister Herbert Reul told a press conference. Essen police said they also found spears and other sharp weapons.

The student is suspected of plotting an attack on the Don-Bosco-Gymnasium, the school he currently attends, or another local school he previously attended, the Realschule am Schloss Borbeck, police said.

Police told the broadcaster ZDF that they had evidence of a crime in which “weapons played a role,” but didn’t offer more specifics.

Reul said the police search provided indications that the suspect “had massive mental problems and suicidal thoughts,” including recordings that could be seen as “an urgent call for help from a desperate young man.”

As of Thursday, the suspect was in police custody.

Both schools were closed Thursday because of the police operations. A statement on the Don-Bosco-Gymnasium’s website Thursday morning said they had “received indications that a crime was being planned at the school.”

Reul said Thursday afternoon that thus far, no bombs or bomb-related materials had been found at the schools.

Thomas Kutschaty, the state parliamentary leader of the center-left SPD, tweeted Thursday that reports of the alleged plot “shocked me deeply.” He praised the “high level of civil courage and the courageous intervention of the police” that kept students and teachers safe.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Image: A cargo ship is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after ...

Associated Press

Authorities identify 2 bodies recovered at site of Baltimore bridge collapse

A major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below.

1 day ago

Photo: Mountaineer Jim Whittaker has died at 95....

Gene Johnson, The Associated Press

Lou Whittaker, among the most famous American mountaineers, has died at age 95

Lou Whittaker, a legendary American mountaineer who helped lead ascents of Mount Everest, K2 and Denali, has died at age 95.

1 day ago

File photo: Former Sen. Joe Lieberman speaks in Washington on Jan. 18, 2024....

Associated Press

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP pick in 2000, dead at 82

Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who nearly won the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in 2000, has died.

1 day ago

islamic state attack...

Vanessa Gera, The Associated Press

What we know after the Islamic State group claims responsibility for Moscow massacre

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed at least 133 people.

5 days ago

Moscow shooting...

The Associated Press

Russia: 60 dead, 145 injured in concert hall raid; Islamic State group claims responsibility

Assailants burst into a concert hall in Moscow on Friday and sprayed the crowd with gunfire, killing over 60 people, injuring more than 100.

7 days ago

Photo: Britain's Kate, Duchess of Cambridge visits 282 (East Ham) Squadron, RAF Air Cadets, Cornwel...

Associated Press

Kate Middleton announces she has cancer, is undergoing chemotherapy

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, says she is undergoing chemotherapy to treat cancer. She has been out of view since Christmas.

7 days ago

German teen detained in suspected school attack plot