(Ken Silva, Headline USA) An 18-year-old biological female, who identified as a male, was arrested Wednesday for an alleged plot to commit a mass shooting at a Montgomery County school.
The Montgomery County Police Department in Maryland announced the arrest of Andrea Ye, whose preferred name is Alex Ye, on Thursday.
A full set of charging documents about the incident don’t appear to be online, but the available records suggest that Ye had been in touch with at least one federal informant. According to the announcement, MCPD launched an investigation after the FBI notified the department about a 129-page “manifesto” authored by Ye.
The FBI, in turn, apparently knew about the manifesto because of the informant. According to NBC, authorities learned about Ye’s manifesto after being contacted by an informant named in court records only as “Witness-One.”
The informant reportedly spent time in a psychiatric facility with Ye, who “started receiving mental health treatment in December of 2022 after making a series of alleged threats,” a local ABC affiliate reported.
“In the document, Ye writes about committing a school shooting, and strategizes how to carry out the act. Ye also contemplates targeting an elementary school and says that he wants to be famous,” MCPD’s announcement said.
More details about Ye are in in charging documents, which don’t appear to be available online. A local reporter posted excerpts, but not the entire charging document, for Ye.
#BREAKING 18yo charged with threats of mass destruction. @mcpnews allege Andrea Ye, who prefers the name Alex and identifies as male, planned shootings at Wooten HS and Lakewood ES and detailed them in a manifesto. An 18 page charging doc includes a number of excerpts: pic.twitter.com/CDYEhI0CXJ
— Brad Bell (@Brad7News) April 18, 2024
According to an excerpt of the charging document, Ye considered shooting up an elementary school “because little kids make easier targets.”
“And, I run the risk of getting attacked or tackled midway through with high schoolers. I also hated elementary school. The teachers were evil and the other students were little assholes. I always got in trouble and had to sit out during recess. The other kids would pretend to be my friends but make fun of me to my face. It would be the perfect revenge,” Ye allegedly wrote.
“Truthfully, I would rather become a serial killer than a mass shooter. Serial killers are romanticized a lot more. They get tons of love letters and Netflix documentaries about them. Mass shooters are brushed off unless they are truly unique or good-looking,” Ye allegedly added.
Ye reportedly told officials that the story was fictional, but police deemed his writings to be too realistic.
A search of Ye’s electronic devices found that he allegedly was on Discord discussing the Columbine shooting, the Parkland shooting and other violent events.
Ye was charged with threat of mass violence, which is listed as a misdemeanor on the court docket.
Montgomery authorities held a press conference about the matter Friday, where Ye’s trans identity was a subject of contention.
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, a democratic socialist, implodes after a reporter asked why the county is reluctant to admit that alleged would-be school shooter Andrea "Alex" Ye is transgender. Why is the lede being buried?
"It's not a lede," Elrich said. "It is not a… pic.twitter.com/5iubFsKel0
— Mia Cathell (@MiaCathell) April 19, 2024
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.
