An Oregon teenager is accused of plotting to bomb his high school. Notebooks detailed his plans to use napalm bombs, Molotov cocktails and firearms before taking his own life, CNN reports.
Grant Acord, the 17-year-old in custody, is accused of planning a mass murder at his Albany, Ore., high school. Authorities said on Tuesday that they found notebooks in Acord's bedroom containing "handwritten and typed plans, including diagrams, to commit mass murder," according to the three-page probable cause affidavit.
Acord appeared in court on Tuesday via a video feed from jail. He answered the judge's questions calmly and respectfully. No plea was entered, and bond was set at $2 million.
Law enforcement indicated the teenager planned to "outdo" the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. The copycat plot was foiled after a classmate overheard Acord's comments about a bomb, which the classmate then reported to his mother. His mother informed law enforcement, who subsequently opened an investigation and discovered Acord's notebooks and stash of explosives.
Acord titled his plot "The (Loosely Stated) Plan AKA Worst case Scenario." It would have begun at 7:30 a.m. with the attack following at 11:10 a.m. The notebooks suggest premeditation. Acord cased several locations, including whether a school resource officer would be present.
CNN reports a passage from his notebook: "Get gear out of trunk. Carry duffle in one hand, napalm firebomb in the other, walk towards school with (Airport Stalk music from the Call of Duty video game) blasting out of car. Drop duffle. Light and throw napalm, unzip bag and begin firing. Cooly state: 'The Russian grim reaper is here.' If 3rd exit is blocked by napalm fire, or is locked, run to 1st entrance."
The plan would culminate with his suicide.
"Kill myself before S.W.A.T. engages me," he wrote.
Authorities have charged Acord as an adult with 19 charges, including attempted aggravated murder.
Acord, who was reported to be a quiet introvert, might suffer from mental illness. His mother called her son ill, claiming he suffers from a rare form of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
"My heart goes out to everyone affected by Grant's struggle with PANDAS, a rare form of OCD," Acord's mother said through her lawyer.
PANDAS stands for pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder. It's caused by the body's reaction to strep throat, and it can result in "explosive violence," according to PANDAS expert Dr. Rosario Trifiletti.
"I think the thing that shocks parents is how quickly they can change," Trifiletti told CNN. "They can snap."
