A teen’s detailed plan to bomb and shoot up a Washington mall was thwarted just days after posting his murderous manifesto online, raising serious questions about what’s happening to America’s youth.
At a Glance
- FBI and local authorities arrested an Oregon teen who planned a mass shooting at Three Rivers Mall in Kelso, Washington
- The suspect created detailed plans including a homemade chlorine bomb, mall route map, and intended to end with suicide
- Authorities seized weapons, ammunition, clothing for the assault, and digital devices after a tip received May 19
- The teen had pledged allegiance to online nihilistic, violent extremist groups
- Charges are pending with authorities considering whether to try the juvenile as an adult
Another Disturbed Teen With a Deadly Plan
Just when you think we’ve seen it all, another disturbed teenager emerges with elaborate plans to inflict maximum carnage on innocent Americans just trying to enjoy a day at the mall. This time, the target was Three Rivers Mall in Kelso, Washington, where an Oregon teen meticulously plotted to detonate a homemade chlorine bomb before gunning down moviegoers and mall patrons. Thankfully, the FBI and Columbia County Sheriff’s Office managed to stop this potential massacre before it happened, but let’s be honest – the fact that we’re even discussing this is a tragic indictment of where we are as a society.
What’s particularly chilling about this case is the level of detail in the teen’s planning. The suspect had been working on this attack since the beginning of the year, eventually posting his detailed plans online on May 17. This wasn’t some vague fantasy – this kid had drawn up schematics of the mall, mapped out his attack route, designed an improvised chlorine bomb, and even designated a specific location within the mall where he planned to end his own life after murdering as many innocent shoppers as possible.
The suspect, whose identity has not been disclosed due to his age, allegedly planned to detonate a chlorine bomb to create chaos and panic before shooting fleeing patrons exiting a movie theater, the FBI Portland Field Office said in a statement. https://t.co/IORwVV1APS
— WSIL News (@WSILNews) June 7, 2025
Nihilistic Ideologies and Online Radicalization
Here’s something that should shock absolutely no one paying attention to the deterioration of our culture: the teen had “pledged allegiance to several online nihilistic, violent extremist groups and ideologies.” This is what happens when we allow the internet to become a cesspool of hateful content while simultaneously dismantling traditional family structures and values. Young minds without proper guidance are left vulnerable to the darkest corners of the web, where they can find communities that validate and amplify their most destructive impulses.
“This plot was as serious as it gets,” said Doug Olson of the FBI. “We, along with our partners, moved swiftly to interrupt this violent plan and to protect our community.”
When the FBI SWAT team finally contacted the suspect at his residence on May 22, they discovered a terrifying arsenal: three handguns, ammunition, four knives, clothing specifically designated for the assault, and five digital devices likely containing even more evidence of the planned attack. Had it not been for the tip received by the FBI on May 19, we would be reporting on a very different and much more tragic story today.
Will Justice Be Served?
Now comes the predictable part where our justice system will likely bend over backward to avoid holding this would-be mass murderer fully accountable. Charges are being filed in juvenile court, with the Columbia County District Attorney’s Office evaluating whether the teen will face trial as an adult. But as we’ve seen time and again, the bar for moving such cases to adult court is “rare and difficult” – because apparently planning to bomb and shoot up a mall full of innocent people isn’t quite severe enough to warrant adult consequences.
“as a juvenile Columbia County resident” the FBI carefully noted, using the kind of sanitized language that helps mask the gravity of what was being planned.
This case follows a similar incident in Bend, Oregon, where another potential mass shooter was arrested before carrying out his plans. These back-to-back cases should have every parent, school administrator, and lawmaker asking serious questions about what’s happening to our youth. Instead of addressing the root causes of these violent tendencies – the breakdown of family structure, lack of male role models, unchecked online radicalization, and the absence of moral foundations – we’ll likely see more hand-wringing about gun control while ignoring the deeper cultural rot that produces teenagers who plan mass murder as casually as others plan their prom night.
