Argentine Federal Police (PFA) officers on Thursday detained a 15-year-old after the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) detected that the minor had used ChatGPT to plan a school shooting, local outlets reported.
The Argentine newspaper Clarín reports that the arrested teenager resides in the Buenos Aires province of Quilmes and planned to carry out a school shooting and murder his fellow classmates at some point in 2027. Police officers arrested the teenager at his residence during a Thursday night operation. Due to local legislation, Argentine officials have not disclosed the teenager’s identity to the public.
The teenager’s arrest, Clarín explained, stems from an investigation that began on August 19 after the FBI’s Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Argentina identified an email address linked to messages of a possible school shooting — holding conversations with ChatGPT to organize a massacre. The FBI official reportedly warned that the user manifested the intention to carry out a school shooting and assassinate classmates during early 2027, with the possibility of bringing the date forward.
Some of the conversations between the user and the artificial intelligence tool reportedly involved the arrested teenager expressing interest in purchasing “tactical” attire to carry out the shooting. Upon receiving the FBI warning, Argentina’s anti-terrorist unit carried out an investigation that reportedly included the use of open-source intelligence (OSINT) techniques to try to identify the user behind the messages. Investigators successful managed to identify the teenager’s social media presence and place of residence.
PFA shared footage of the operation with Clárin. Police officers also seized two cell phone devices, two pairs of tactical gloves, a military-style camouflage beanie, a skull-patterned balaclava, a military-style camouflage balaclava, and black tactical goggles.
According to the Argentine news channel Todo Noticias, no firearms or ammunition were found at the teenager’s home during the arrest. The seized phone devices will be subject to analysis to learn the full extent of the teenager’s criminal intentions as well as to determine whether anyone else was involved in the planning.
The teenager and his two parents are expected to appear before a local Juvenile Criminal Prosecution Office in the coming days while the investigations continue. Per the news channel, the case is currently classified as “public incrimination” as investigations are ongoing.
The Argentine outlet Infobae recounted that prior to Thursday’s arrest, the FBI had also helped Argentine police officers detain a pair of teenagers aged 15 and 16 in February who had also planned to carry out a school shooting in Argentina. Their arrest stemmed from an FBI warning sent to Argentine law enforcement after a series of antisemitic and racial supremacist messages attributed to the pair was detected on social media.