Philippine police have foiled a school shooting and rescued seven students radicalised by “foreigners” online to stage an attack in Laguna province near Manila, as calls grow to enhance parental safeguards against digital threats.
Officers rounded up the suspects – five boys and two girls, aged 12 to 17 – on February 2 after receiving a tip-off about the alleged plot they intended to carry out a fortnight later, the Philippine Star reported.
The teens, who were turned over to social workers, came into contact with their “foreign” handlers on the gaming platform Roblox.
They subsequently invited the students to private chat rooms, exposing them to videos of shootings, beatings, accidents and beheadings, according to GMA’s Resibo programme.
The indoctrination prompted one of the boys to post an “I will burn down my school” message on social media.
Phones seized from the group revealed photos of tactical vests and gloves, as well as an assault rifle that police said the teens were being urged to buy.
