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Twisted revenge plot revealed as possible motive after two teen girls planned to shoot up SoCal high school: cops

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Cite

O'Keefe, R. (2026, October 21). Twisted revenge plot revealed as possible motive after two teen girls planned to shoot up SoCal high school: cops. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/10/21/us-news/police-uncover-revenge-motive-in-corona-high-school-threat/

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

New York Post · collected 2026-10-21 · by Ross O'Keefe

Quick Summary

Corona police reported that two 15-year-old girls were arrested in October for planning a "revenge-based attack" at Corona High School in Southern California. According to Lt. Robert Montanez of the Corona Police Department, the girls researched how to obtain firearms and discussed various methods of carrying out their plan online. The FBI intervened after identifying the social media discussions and worked with local authorities to arrest the suspects on October 6 and October 20. No charges have been filed yet due to legal protections for juveniles under California law.
Written by AI on 2026-10-21, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Two 15-year-old girls, one from Corona High School and another from Norco High School in California's Riverside County, were arrested for allegedly planning a school shooting. The FBI first alerted local authorities on October 6 after discovering threatening social media communications. Police executed search warrants, examined electronic devices, and searched several residences before identifying the second suspect on October 20.

The girls are accused of spending months researching past school shootings and discussing methods to obtain weapons for their alleged attack at Corona High School, though they did not succeed in acquiring any firearms or other weapons. Both remain in custody charged with conspiracy to commit murder; if convicted as adults, they could face a sentence of 25 years to life.

Police stressed that while the planning was extensive, no specific date for an assault had been set and authorities intervened before any attack materialized. FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized the seriousness of threats against schools, stating, "There is no greater priority than protecting our kids."

Written for “California High School Shooting Plot Arrests” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 4 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 California High School Shooting Plot Arrests
Crime & Law · 5 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 12% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
ABC News (US)
Hedges 1 of 10 claims Outlet record 70/100
New York Post
Hedges 3 of 21 claims Outlet record 66/100
The Independent
Hedges 2 of 19 claims Outlet record 59/100
Daily Mail
Hedges 6 of 22 claims Outlet record 69/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
25
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
12%
3 of 25 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
5
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-21 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

New York Post · 16647 article(s) · 36 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 36 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Ross O'Keefe
98 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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🔮 “Anyone who targets me or my family, invades our privacy, or engages in harassment will be met with a full and firm response.
🔮 He added that investigators say the girls looked up how to obtain a firearm despite their young age and also discussed hunting license requirements and whether guns could be purchased online or obtained through other sources.
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Also by Ross O'Keefe
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 98 articles by Ross O'Keefe →

Topics

Corona FBI KTLA The Post the Corona Police Department

Subjects

FBI ORG · 6× KTLA ORG · 2× Montanez PERSON · 2× The Post ORG · 2× the Corona Police Department ORG · 2× California GPE · 1× Corona PERSON · 1× Corona High School ORG · 1× Corona Police Department ORG · 1× Robert Montanez PERSON · 1×

Narrative

He said the FBI identified online communications discussing a “planned school attack” and the Los Angeles FBI field office moved “immediately,” identified those involved, and worked with local police to take the teens into custody.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-21
🔮 He added that investigators say the girls looked up how to obtain a firearm despite their young age and also discussed hunting license requirements and whether guns could be purchased online or obtained through other sources.

Claims (25 extracted, 3 hedged)

Corona police told KTLA that the two 15-year-old girls made “specific plans” to carry out a “revenge-based attack” at Corona High School. asserted
girls → tell → School
“They were trying to make specific plans as to how they were going to carry out this revenge-based attack,” Corona Police Department Lt. Robert Montanez told KTLA. asserted
Montanez → try → KTLA
“This was not joking around. asserted
This → joke → ?
This was not a one-off conversation,” Montanez added. asserted
Montanez → add → ?
He added that investigators say the girls looked up how to obtain a firearm despite their young age and also discussed hunting license requirements and whether guns could be purchased online or obtained through other sources. uncertain
guns → add → sources
The FBI flagged the social media discussions to police, who arrested one of the girls on Oct. 6 and the other on Oct. 20. asserted
who → flag → Oct.
Local police concluded no alleged attack was imminent despite their planning. “They were still very much in the planning stages,” Montanez said, adding no date had been set for the assault. asserted
date → conclude → assault
FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement that “a potential act of targeted violence against a Southern California high school was disrupted before anyone was harmed.” asserted
anyone → say → school
He said the FBI identified online communications discussing a “planned school attack” and the Los Angeles FBI field office moved “immediately,” identified those involved, and worked with local police to take the teens into custody. asserted
office → say → custody
“There is no greater priority than protecting our kids, and threats against our schools will be met with the full force of the FBI and our partners,” Patel added. asserted
Patel → be → FBI
The Riverside District Attorney’s Office is reviewing the case, they told The Post. asserted
they → review → Post
No charges have been filed at this time, they added, and they would not release the teens’ identities. asserted
they → file → identities
The office later informed The Post that “pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code section 676,” they would not say whether charges have been filed or release the identities of the teens. asserted
charges → inform → teens
“This provision protects the privacy of juveniles and supports the goal of rehabilitation by allowing young people the opportunity to redirect their lives toward a productive adulthood,” they added. asserted
they → protect → adulthood
Officials ranging from the FBI, Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, and school officials from the Corona-Norco Unified School District worked with the Corona Police Department on the case. asserted
Officials → range → case
The district noted neither girl has been on campus since the investigation began Oct. 6. asserted
investigation → note → campus
“We are grateful for the swift response of the Corona Police Department and their continued partnership throughout this investigation,” they wrote in a statement. asserted
they → continue → statement
“We understand that hearing news like this can be unsettling for families, and we want our parents to know that the safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our highest priority. asserted
safety → understand → students
CNUSD has established safety protocols, monitoring systems, and strong partnerships with local law enforcement to help identify and respond to potential threats. asserted
CNUSD → establish → threats
“These measures are part of our ongoing commitment to providing safe and supportive learning environments for every student.” asserted
measures → provide → student
There is no current threat to the school, school officials said. asserted
officials → be → school
16-year-old Griffin John opened fire at an Oregon elementary school, killing three young children and a teacher. asserted
John → open → children
The teenager formerly went to the elementary school, and a heroic bystander shot him dead at the scene after he blasted into the school with a shotgun. asserted
he → go → shotgun
He allegedly killed 5-year-old Rhoam Summer, an 8-year-old, and an 11-year-old, along with teacher Megan Lambert, 25, in his old special education classroom. uncertain
He → kill → classroom
John’s motive is unclear, but he had a dark origin, growing up with an alcoholic father who beat the boy’s mother and threatened her with a knife before he was even born. uncertain
he → have → knife
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