Authorities detained a California man on suspicion of “plotting a mass shooting” with the 15-year-old girl who opened fire in her small Christian school in Wisconsin this week, the Washington Post reports. FBI agents interviewed Alexander Paffendorf, 20, of Carlsbad, late Tuesday. A court order said FBI agents had discovered Paffendorf was in contact with Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow, who fatally shot two people at Abundant Life Christian School and wounded six on Monday before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Paffendorf was detained after being “discovered plotting a mass shooting” with Rupnow, according to the court document.
“During an FBI interview, Paffendorf admitted … that he told Rupnow that he would arm himself with explosives and a gun and that he would target a government building,” the court filing says. “FBI agents saw the messages from Paffendorf to Rupnow.”
“At this time, we are not aware of any ongoing threats associated with this matter in Wisconsin or California,” the FBI said. The order by the San Diego County Superior Court, requires Paffendorf to surrender all firearms, ammunition and magazines. Neighbors said they didn’t know Paffendorf well, if at all. The Abundant Life Christian School remains a crime scene as detectives search for a motive in the shooting. The campus remains closed as investigators comb through social media and documents to understand how Rupnow got the firearm used in the killings, CNN reports.
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