Overview

• The FBI received a tip on May 19 about imminent attack plans shared in online chat forums and identified the Columbia County teenager as a suspect by May 20.
• Agents executed a court-approved search warrant at the suspect’s Columbia County, Oregon, residence on May 22, leading to his arrest on state charges.
• Investigators uncovered a small mall map, annotated schematics, a chlorine bomb device, weapons and clothing intended for the planned assault.
• Authorities found that the juvenile had embraced a nihilistic violent extremist ideology and had been plotting the attack since early 2025.
• The Columbia County District Attorney’s office is prosecuting the case; the FBI urges parents and the public to report suspicious online behavior.