Phoenix teenager threatens to blow up mosque and brings pounds of potassium nitrate to school

On April 24, 2019 at 12:47 UTC

By Elisha Fieldstadt

A 15-year-old boy was taken into police custody after threatening to blow up a mosque and bringing several "pounds" of potassium nitrate to his Phoenix school, officials said on Tuesday.

A classmate of a high school student Pinnacle told his parents on Monday that the suspect had stated that he "wanted to blow up a Muslim church," said the police.The witness's parents called Phoenix police, who stated that the boy had told them "that he had not observed any weapons or devices allowing the suspect to act according to his statement".

But the next day, the classmate noticed that the suspect had brought "a plastic bag containing several kilograms of a white powdery substance" to the school, police said.

The boy reported what he had seen to the school officials and, when the police arrived at the scene, they discovered that the suspect had "several pounds of potassium nitrate", according to the police .

Police Phoenix Sgt. Tommy Thompson said that potassium nitrate was not dangerous in itself, but that it could be mixed with other substances to create a potential explosive.

The teenager, who has not been identified, was arrested for questioning, the police said. Pinnacle High School was not locked because it had not threatened the school.

A statement from the Paradise Valley Unified School District, of which Pinnacle is a part, states that the school and district cooperate in the police investigation.

According to the release, students and staff are never in danger and it was safe for them to go to school on Wednesday.

"It's always advisable for parents to check their teen's phone and / or tablet to see what they are texting, posting on social networks and passing on to others," the district statement said. "Teenagers should be reminded that uttering threats, even if they claim it as a joke, can have serious consequences and is considered a crime."