Two teen-aged males were arrested on Long Island yesterday after a notebook was found that described their desire to plan a Columbine-like attack on their high school. It's hard to determine whether to take this incident seriously, as the younger half of the hapless pair left a notebook containing their terror blueprints in a McDonalds parking lot, where it was found by someone who turned it over to police. 17-year-old Michael McDonough was the older of the duo, and was arrested with his 15-year-old accomplice, who was on long-term school suspension. The pair wrote about recreating a high school massacre like the one that occurred in Colorado years ago.
In addition to a list of specific people they planned on killing, the notebook included notes on how McDonough and the younger man were seeking to acquire "an Uzi submachine gun, an AK-47 assault rifle and 5 pounds of black powder explosive over the Internet." The notebook also included messianic ravings reminiscent of Osama bin Laden that declared "I will start a chain of terrorism in the world." However, unlike bin Laden, the 15-year-old left his terror gameplan folio in a parking lot––the same McDonalds parking lot where he worked with the girl who topped his "hit list."
Neither of the youngsters seemed close to acquiring weapons or "black powder" explosives, but after Virginia Tech and a number of other school shootings, it's probably best that authorities err on the side of caution when dealing with volatile and potentially violent kids. Despite the severity of their written intentions, both kids were charged with 5th degree criminal conspiracy charges, which are misdemeanors and involve a maximum of one year in prison. One of the two is already being treated at a mental health facility. A teacher at the Long Island school that was the supposed target of the mass killing could only shrug his shoulders to a reporter: "'I would like to say I'm shocked' by the arrests 'but nothing shocks me anymore.'"
