Teen Faces Terror Charge For Hostage Plot

Arizona 14-Year-Old To Be Tried As An Adult For Planning A "Columbine-Like" Scenario

(AP)  A teenager in Arizona faces a terrorism charge for confronting a girl with a knife and later being found with a backpack full of restraining devices and weapons, a prosecutor said.

The 14-year-old told police he planned to hold his class hostage, Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas said Monday.

When the teen was arrested two weeks ago, county officials said he had plotted a "Columbine-like" scenario, comparing his plans to the 1999 deadly shooting massacre at Colorado's Columbine High School.

The teen also was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and kidnapping, as well as a misdemeanor count of carrying a weapon on school grounds, Thomas said Monday.

He will be tried as an adult, said Barnett Lotstein, a spokesman for Thomas.

The boy was arrested at his home in Mesa on March 23. Police said they discovered weapons in his backpack, including a .25-caliber handgun loaded with a full clip of bullets and one in the chamber, plus a box of 28 rounds of ammunition, Mesa Police spokeswoman Diana Tapia said.

Police also found three large knives, a lock, a metal chain and two rolls of duct tape in the backpack, Tapia said.

Police said they were alerted by a girl who said the boy confronted her with a knife.

Holly Hosac, another Mesa police spokeswoman, said the teen was a good student but apparently had trouble with another boy at school.

[afubar69]

And this boy's parents were where? Shouldn' the parents be held accountable? How did he collect all these weapons?

Lets put the blame squarely where it belongs, at home. Let your child have unlimited access to the internet, video games, unsupervised TV (be it news reports or the Simpsons) and nothing good can come of it.

So I ask again, where are the parents?

[azman80]

Jail is not going to help this kid, all thats going to happen is that he will tell his story to the other inmates who will think he's a bad @ss and nothing is resolved. I think he needs to be put in a boot camp from Helll. Teach him a lesson all by himself. Heck, why not have these wanna be punks at the border building that joke of a fence thats costing millions, when we can do it for free with kids like this.

[agnim]

"how are we supposed to take the "war on terror" seriously when it is applied to a situation like this?
Posted by Easy_Jet at 06:22 PM : Apr 03, 2007"

LOL
My sentiments exactly!
To label this childhood dysfunction as terrorism makes a mockery of the so-called 'serious threat' from islamic insanity.

[zootallures2]

Trench Coat Mofia sleeper cells....lol.

Well, well, well... mankind has learned a new trick.

[cantshutup]

so??? he learned it from that astronaut that wore the huggies to texas...sure got different sentences though...bet there's not a cushy job waitin anywhere for this kid...

[wvoifvet]

My question is why is he being charged with kidnaping when he did not commit the act, he was just planning it

[drew30319-2009]

Agnim:

A search of an English dictionary presents you with many definitions:

ter7ror /%u02C8t%u025Br%u0259r/
1. intense, sharp, overmastering fear: to be frantic with terror.
2. an instance or cause of intense fear or anxiety; quality of causing terror: to be a terror to evildoers.
3. any period of frightful violence or bloodshed likened to the Reign of Terror in France.
4. violence or threats of violence used for intimidation or coercion; terrorism.



Threatening somebody with a knife and stockpiling weapons with plans to harm others are not acceptable in this country.

[drew30319-2009]

Easy_Jet:

Why shouldn't he be charged as an adult? At the age of 14 he is able to understand and consider the consequences of what he was undertaking.

This is somebody that poses a direct threat to others. Our Justice System has a responsibility to protect us. Why does this present a problem for you?

I'm glad that Maricopa County takes issues like this seriously and look forward to the day that the rest of our country follows suit.

Drew Crecente
Director, Jennifer Ann's Group
JenniferAnn.org

[easy_jet]

Unbelievable that an obviously deranged 14 year old is to be tried as an adult, much less that it is to be called "terrorism". I don't downplay the gravity of what he did or the need for punishment and hopefully rehabilitation, but how are we supposed to take the "war on terror" seriously when it is applied to a situation like this?

This is as stupid as commanding us to be "vigilant" while we disrobe in the airport whilst being subjected to lawsuits by middle eastern men chanting Islamic prayers before boarding, with at least half of the TSA horde standing around doing nothing more than glowering while 90% of the checked-on luggage passes behind them unscreened.

Another symptom of our proclivity to shoot at easy targets so as to avoid the politically incorrect unpleasantness of calling this spade the spade everyone, including the eunuched Chertoff, knows it to be.

[hissteps4u]

The Boy is obviously eranged and in need of assistance. to act in such a way and to plan such an event he ought to be locked up for life. Had the girl not talked to Police he would have pulled off his plan unnoticed till the news showed p and people were dead.

The shame of it is that such sick children are out there and willing to do such horriable things.

[linfinster]

I'm pretty sure it's a different type of terror, as in terrorizing, they are talking about.

[agnim]

What 'terror charges'?