FBI thwarts mass shooting planned for Washington state mall, authorities say

The FBI thwarted a potential mass shooting at a shopping mall in Washington state, law enforcement leaders announced Thursday.

A juvenile teenager from Columbia County was taken into custody May 22 on state charges, according to the FBI. Authorities didn’t release the suspect’s name.

The shooting was planned for the Three Rivers Crossing in Kelso, Washington, authorities said. The mall is about 50 miles north of Portland off Interstate 5, and has a mix of national retailers including JCPenney, Target and Safeway and local businesses, according to its website.

The teen had a map of the mall, a route to follow and a plan to use a chlorine bomb as a distraction to cause panic and then shoot people as they left the movie theater before committing suicide at the mall, the FBI said in a statement.

“The detailed and imminent attack plans were reported to the FBI on May 19, 2025. Immediately, the FBI began working with our partners to identify the suspect who was responsible for the threat,” the FBI said.

“The subject was identified the next day, May 20, as a juvenile Columbia County resident who shared nihilistic violent extremist ideology and the plans on online chats. The subject was placed under court-authorized surveillance for public safety concerns and a federal search warrant was planned and executed on May 22, 2025, prior to the arrest,” the FBI said.

FBI agents worked with Columbia County officers to stop the alleged plot.

Douglas Olson, the FBI special agent in charge of the Portland office, Columbia County District Attorney Joshua Pond and Columbia County Sheriff Brian Pixley are holding a 1 p.m. news conference at FBI headquarters in Portland to discuss the case.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

— Maxine Bernstein covers federal court and criminal justice. Reach her at 503-221-8212, mbernstein@oregonian.com, follow her on X


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