‘I have the weapons’ – Parents alert police to teens’ school shooting plan

Parents in Ingeniero Maschwitz have raised the alarm after uncovering WhatsApp messages in which a group of teenagers discussed plans to carry out a school shooting. It is unclear how the plot was uncovered.

Concerned mothers and fathers at the Escuela de Educación Media N°4 in Escobar alerted the authorities after discovering details of the plan, which included death threats and talks about stealing weapons from a local police station.

It is unclear if the attack was to be realised, though in one message, a teenager chillingly states: "I already have the weapons."

Authorities identified at least four students – three boys and one girl – after adults reported their messages to a police station in Escobar, the La Nación daily reported. The students had created a WhatsApp group named "Tiroteo escolar" to coordinate their plan.

Parents presented screenshots and audio recordings of conversations in which several teenagers – aged between 13 and 16, according to local media outlets – planned an alleged armed attack on the school.

The messages included explicit threats such as "whoever we see, we shoot, no matter who it is," adding they would search the school "to see if anyone was left alive" after the initial wave of the attack.

One of the teenagers claimed to have access to firearms through their stepfather, including a Uzi .22-calibre submachine gun, which he suggested would be used in the planned attack.

"The MP5 is good for medium and short range. The Glock is for short and a bit of medium range, and the Uzi 22 is short range," reads one of the messages, discussing weapons they intended to use.

"It's a shooting, it's not about going and killing whoever you want. It's about going and firing everywhere with the weapons, as long as you hit the target. Do you understand?" one of the teenagers states, to which another responds: "I'm in class now, I'll explain later since I'm a fan of school shootings."

One of the teenagers stresses they did not want anyone backing out or changing their mind. "I don't like wasting my time ... the shots won't just be for the students but also for anyone who backs out," they write menancingly.

Fears

School authorities expelled the students, allowing them to continue their studies remotely for four months. The investigation began on Wednesday, April 2, followed by police searches the next day for weapons and mobile phones.

In parallel, the Juvenile Criminal Responsibility Prosecutor’s Office No. 2 of Zárate-Campana prohibited the students from coming within 100 metres of the school during this period.

For now, police have classified the case as "public intimidation," a legal term used in Argentina for acts that generate widespread fear or alarm. However, the students, being minors, do not face criminal charges. Nevertheless, further investigation is expected in the coming days.

Domestic media outlets stated Friday that screenshots of the messages have quickly spread through Facebook groups and among parents in the Buenos Aires Province town, heightening fears that an attack might still be imminent.

Many parents chose to keep their children home, and tensions have escalated as families continue to demand answers from school officials.

In response to mounting fears, local authorities say they have bolstered security at educational institutions to reassure the community.

Tensions nevertheless have escalated among parents at the school. Gathering at the school entrance, concerned parents this week demanded answers from authorities, while insisting on their children's right to study in safety.

– TIMES