Tex. high school students accused of attack plot

Few details released of two teens’ alleged plan to commit capital murder

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updated 10:20 a.m. ET Nov. 7, 2006

ROUND ROCK, Texas - Two high school students have been charged with conspiracy to commit capital murder after authorities uncovered what they described as potentially deadly school attack plot.

The boys, whose names were not released, were arrested Thursday, Williamson County Sheriff’s Department Detective John Foster said.

Foster would not discuss specifics of the McNeil High School students’ alleged plan after announcing the arrests Monday. He would not say how police and school officials learned of the plot but added that “we were very fortunate to discover this before it did happen.”

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“It jeopardized the lives of people there at the school: students and teachers,” Foster said. “There were no specific targets other than the school and its occupants.”

Round Rock Independent School District spokeswoman JoyLynn Occhiuzzi would not give the students’ ages or grades other than that both were juveniles, which in Texas means younger than 17.

‘We were able to act quickly’
A letter to parents went home with students Monday explaining the incident, Occhiuzzi said.

“This has been pretty tightlipped until today, so not very many people knew about it,” Foster said. “So we were able to act quickly and make an arrest on it. As far as the mood, I think most everybody at the campus was unaware of what had transpired.”

McNeil High has about 2,700 students and 200 staff members. Round Rock is about 15 miles north of Austin and is the headquarters of computer maker Dell Inc.