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Berkeley Teen Allegedly Planned Attack
A teen suspected of trying to recruit other students to participate in a school shooting or bombing at Berkeley High School was arrested this week after turning himself in, police said Wednesday.
Police received a tip on May 21 and searched the 16-year-old boy's home, where they found explosives components and assault rifles, several knives, and electronic items that could be used to create additional weapons, authorities said.
According to a news release from police, investigators from the youth services unit took over the investigation and detectives interviewed witnesses, reviewed evidence and eventually obtained a warrant for the teen's arrest.
Police also worked with Berkeley High staff and communicated with school district officials to keep them updated about safety information, police said.
The teen turned himself in to Berkeley police on Monday and was arrested on suspicion of possessing destructive device materials and threatening to commit a crime which will result in death or great bodily injury.
"We recognize the impact this news may have on our community. School safety remains a high priority for the department," police said in the news release.
Police didn't release any other information about the suspect, or how many students he tried to involve.
The department has a school resource officer assigned to Berkeley High. In addition, all officers have access to a range of training and equipment that provide them the protection, skills and ability to rapidly respond to in-progress violence, police said.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the department's Youth Services Unit at (510) 981-5715.