Police: School bomb plot thwarted, teen arrested | News

Tampa, Florida -- Police say they have stopped a planned bomb attack on the first day of classes at a Tampa high school.

17-year-old Jared Michael Cano is under arrest. Authorities say Cano is an expelled student at Freedom High School and was planning to attack specific school administrators as well as any nearby students on opening day next week.

Photo Gallery: Pictures of Jared Cano

Cano faces charges of threatening to throw, project, place or discharge a destructive device, possession of bomb making materials, and cultivating marijuana.

On Tuesday evening, police found a journal and materials to make pipe bombs, including a fuel source, shrapnel, plastic tubing and timing and fusing devices.

Officials say the journal contained schematic drawings of rooms inside the school and disturbing statements about his intent to kill. They also found a marijuana growing operation.

Police Chief Jane Castor says they learned of the plot thanks to a tip. Castor does not believe anyone else was involved and says Cano's family has been cooperative.

Cano was arrested Tuesday night and is currently in juvenile detention after making his first court appearance Wednesday morning. The state attorney's office will determine if he will be charged as an adult. He is due back in court September 5th for his arraignment.

Investigators say Cano has been in trouble with the law before, and was recently arrested for a burglary where a gun was stolen and possession of marijuana.

Cano's Facebook page has numerous references to marijuana and includes "lessons not learned in blood are soon forgotten" as a favorite quote.  Pictures on the page show the teen drinking from a bottle of malt liquor, smoking marijuana and holding a machete.

Cano's last status update reads "i just did the dumbest thing ever!"

School officials say they've sent out emails to parents, letting them know about what's happened and promise to have extra security on hand next Tuesday when school opens.

Chief Castor says she believes this prevented violence "the likes of which this city has never seen, and hopefully never will."

This is the second year in a row that a Bay area student was arrested for planning an attack right before the start of the school  year.  Hillsborough deputies say Leto High student Austin Cook was planning "mass destruction" against his classmates when he was arrested in August 2010.

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