White House: Officials Arrested Juvenile for Threatening School in DC After Minneapolis Shooting

The White House said on Aug. 28 that officials arrested a juvenile in Washington who was allegedly threatening violence against a school after a mass shooting in Minneapolis a day earlier.

“There was an arrest of a juvenile right here in [Washington] in Ward 7 for threats to kidnap and injure, receiving stolen property, possession of a large capacity feeding device, [and] unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

“A search warrant was executed, seven firearms were recovered, and the juvenile was arrested after an investigation was initiated based on social media posts allegedly threatening violence towards a school.”

Leavitt did not provide any more details about the arrest, the suspect, or the alleged target. She said the arrest occurred on the evening of Aug. 27.

The press secretary was responding to a question from reporter Iris Tao with NTD, a sister outlet of The Epoch Times.

Officials are investigating the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minnesota on Aug. 27 as a hate crime and an act of domestic terrorism, according to Leavitt.

“The FBI is currently investigating this shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics,” Leavitt said, echoing a statement made by FBI Director Kash Patel a day earlier.

She said federal law enforcement personnel are working on the ground in Minnesota to assist local officials.

“[There are] a lot of facts to understand about these circumstances, and so [officials are] going to continue to do that,” she said.

A “sacred religious service was desecrated by an evil monster” when the shooter opened fire, killing two children aged 8 and 10, Leavitt said.

“If you see something, say something,” she said. “If you see warning signs of threats, report them to law enforcement. This administration, federal law enforcement, will take those reports and those threats seriously. They will be treated as a law enforcement emergency, and we will act accordingly.”

City officials on Aug. 28 revised the number of wounded children to 15. They are between the ages of 6 and 15. Three parishioners in their 80s were also injured. Most are expected to survive, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told NBC’s “Today” on Aug. 28.

The suspect was identified on Aug. 27 by officials as Robert “Robin” Westman, a former student at Annunciation Catholic School. Westman was found dead in the parking lot from what authorities believe was a self-inflicted gunshot, officials said. Federal officials referred to Westman as transgender.

Police said they were aware of time-released video and writings that may have come from the shooter. On a YouTube channel titled “Robin W,” there were at least two videos posted before the channel was taken down by site administrators. The videos never showed the face of the person speaking.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.