More Details on Teen Accused of Planning to Attack Three Rivers Mall—Klog 100.7 News

New details have emerged about the planned attack at the Three Rivers Mall that the FBI called “imminent.” The defense says the 14-year-old suspect from Columbia County was reportedly radicalized by white supremacist groups online.

As previously reported, the teen was arrested on May 22, just days after the FBI’s Portland office was first alerted to the threat. Investigators say the teen had planned to detonate a homemade bomb at the mall, shoot people in the chaos, and then take his own life.

The Columbia County District Attorney has charged him with Second Degree Attempted Murder, First Degree Attempted Assault, two counts of Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Tampering with Physical Evidence, Second Degree Disorderly Conduct, and two counts of Unlawful Possession of Firearms.

During a court hearing on Friday, the teen’s defense claimed he had been bullied after moving from Roseburg, which led to a decline in his mental health. It was also revealed that this wasn’t the first concerning incident—two people had previously reported a Snapchat he shared in a private group showing himself holding a gun. Law enforcement didn’t intervene at the time, but his parents withdrew him from school to homeschool him.

The defense says the teen, lacking a social support system, turned to online spaces where he became involved in what’s being described as a “Satanic neo-Nazi sextortion network.” Authorities say messages found in chats with group members included detailed attack plans and even a video tutorial on making a chlorine bomb.