According to a news release from the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD), 18-year-old Andrea Ye, who identifies as Alex Ye, was arrested on April 17 following a joint investigation by the MCPD and the FBI Baltimore Field Office. Authorities launched the investigation after being alerted to a 129-page “manifesto” authored by the teen, who is being held at the Montgomery County Detention Center without bond. In the document, Ye wrote about committing a school shooting and wrote out a strategy on how to carry out the attack. The high school student also contemplated targeting an elementary school and said she wants to be famous. A police affidavit filed on April 18 includes text from the teen’s manifesto stating that she had been preparing for the shooting “for the past few months,” indicating that the attack was imminent. “As I sit in front of my dad’s gun case and stare at the sleek, black gun inside, all I can think about is my finger on the trigger, taking aim, and killing people,” Ye wrote. “This gun is going to change lives tomorrow.” Police had been aware of Ye being a potential threat since 2022. According to a statement from the Montgomery County Public Schools, Ye has not physically attended school since the fall of 2022, after which she was in and out of psychiatric treatment. Court records state that the recent investigation of Ye started on March 3 after police were contacted by someone who knew her during their time together at a psychiatric facility and alerted authorities to the writings. “The story focused on a transgender main character being bullied in school and other issues that [the acquaintance] believed were directly from Ye’s life and not indicative of fiction,” investigators wrote. Ye said she considered shooting up her former elementary school “because little kids make easier targets. And, I run the risk of getting attacked or tackled midway through with high schoolers.” Police say they will be conducting a press conference on Friday, April 19.Maryland authorities have arrested a transgender teenager on suspicion of plotting to commit a school shooting.
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