Halted: Student Plot to Blow Up Maryland School

Officer Rodney Barnes spoke to the Washington Post

SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) Montgomery County police have arrested two high school students accused of conspiring to assault their principal and bomb the school.

According to the Washington Post, 17-year-old Anthony Torrence confided in a school police officer that he was part of a plot to kill the principal with a nail bomb, blow up the school by sabotaging a gas line and beat a guidance counselor with a bag of rocks. He opened his book bag revealing 10 bottes of lighter fluid.

Police said Wednesday that Torrence and his alleged accomplice, 18-year-old Yonata Getachew, both of Silver Spring, face various charges, including conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Torrence is being charged as an adult.

Police say the teenagers had been planning the attack for weeks. During a search of their homes on Tuesday, authorities said they found chemicals and written plans.

Officials say the two students attempted to set fire in a locker room this week. There also were signs a fire had been set earlier in a school restroom.