SKOPJE, Republic of North Macedonia (AFP) — A 20-year-old man was arrested in North Macedonia suspected of planning a mass murder, authorities said on Friday, after being tipped off by United States intelligence.
Police said the suspect was inspired by the notorious Sandy Hook school massacre in December 2012, when a 20-year-old man killed 26 people including 20 children at a school in Connecticut.
Federal Bureau of Investigation agents spotted threats on the social app Discord in late January and informed the US embassy in Skopje which contacted the local authorities, police said in a statement.
“The suspect sent a serious threat that he was ready to carry out an attack with a firearm — an AK-47 automatic rifle... while saying that he had impaired mental health,” it said. Police tracked the message to the village of Mala Recica, west of the capital Skopje, and arrested two people.
The police said the suspect was charged with terrorism, while another, his 89-year-old grandfather, was charged with weapons and explosives offenses.
During searches, officers seized various firearms, state prosecutors said in a statement.
The police said the weapons included an AK-47, two handguns and hundreds of pieces of ammunition plus body armor, knives and electronics.