SWEDEN: Two Swedish students, a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old, have been charged with intent to murder on foot of evidence that they were intending to re-enact America's Columbine high-school massacre at their school in southern Sweden, writes Colm O'Callaghan in Stockholm
The diary of the 16-year-old indicates that the plans had reached an advanced stage. The two students had acquired a rifle and various explosives, which police subsequently found during a search of their homes.
An extract from the 16-year-old's diary on March 29th reads: "Ha, ha, ha. We finally got a rifle, a Winchester Remington calibre 222. We fired some test shots today . . . We got so excited from it that we wanted to go and do Columbine right there and then."
The diary indicates that the plan was to carry out the attack on their school, Slottsstadens in Malmö, on April 20th next year, the sixth anniversary of the Columbine high-school massacre.
The Columbine massacre was the worst school shooting in US history. Two students, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, shot dead 12 students and a teacher before killing themselves.
The diary of the 16-year-old Swedish student claims that his goal was to "beat the record" and outdo Columbine by killing more than 25 people. "We're going to kill every fucking student that runs away," his diary reads. "You'll get a bullet in the head, you fucking snobs - I'm going to shoot every one of you in the head. Every fucking snob will die. You're going to know what pain feels like."
The diary refers to April 20th next year as the "big day" or the "big party". The 16-year-old has also recorded himself on video saying: "You just shoot till everyone's dead. That's what's going to happen. Fucking Slottsstadens school."
The 16-year-old has denied he intended to carry out the massacre, claiming instead that it was just a teenage fantasy. However, his 17-year-old friend has admitted that the plans were serious, but has told police that he regretted making them and wanted to back out of it.
According to the diary of the 16-year-old, things started getting worse for him last autumn when his girlfriend ended their relationship. He writes that he was unable to sleep and his diary entries also show increasing hatred toward his ex-girlfriend.
The trial of the two students is likely to take place next week. A third student is also suspected of being involved, but he cannot be tried as he is under 15 years of age.