Teen aimed to blow up bullies

2006-03-12 18:35

Sydney - A 15-year-old Australian boy was due to appear in court on Monday on charges of plotting to bomb his school in Sydney and kill students who bullied him, local media reported on Sunday.

The pupil was allegedly inspired by the Columbine High School massacre in the United States in 1999 in which two pupils shot dead 12 students and a teacher before committing suicide.

The youth appeared in Lidcome children's court on Saturday when prosecutors said he had made detailed plans to acquire bomb-making ingredients from hardware stores after researching The Anarchist's Cookbook on the internet.

He allegedly had drawn up a "kill-list" naming his targets and planned the attack on the school in Sydney's Northern Beaches for April 5, reported the Sunday Telegraph.

The court was told that the youth, who cannot be named, wrongly believed that was the anniversary of the Columbine massacre and also former Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's birthday - which both fall on April 20.

Overheard by an adult

The alleged "kill-list" contained the handwritten phrase "Die fuckers, die", the court heard.

Police were tipped off by an adult who apparently heard him discussing his plans to kill students who had bullied him.

"Police believe he was going to carry on with these acts resulting in a number of people being killed," prosecutor Clint Nasr told magistrate Paul West.

A state-appointed lawyer appearing for the boy objected to the police claims, saying there was no evidence his client was capable of carrying out the threat.

He said the boy, who appeared in court dressed all in black, was taking anti-depressants and was under the care of a psychologist.

Magistrate Paul West said he was "disturbed" by the allegations and remanded the boy in custody until his next court appearance on Monday.

- AFP