Teenager jailed for plotting mass shooting at Edinburgh school | UK News

A murder-obsessed teenager who spoke of carrying out a mass shooting at an Edinburgh school has been jailed for six years.

A court heard Felix Winter, who is now 18, “idolised” the killers behind the 1999 Columbine High School massacre in the US.

The pupil repeatedly spoke about mounting a similar “Doomsday” attack to the one which claimed the lives of 12 students and a teacher in Colorado.

Winter, who also held racist and pro-Nazi views, admitted two charges at a hearing in February.

The High Court in Glasgow heard the offences – a breach of the peace and a charge under the Terrorism Act – were committed when he was aged 15 and 16 between June 2022 and July 2023.

Winter had been twice referred to the UK-wide Prevent counter terrorism programme.

It places public bodies, including schools and the police, under a legal duty to identify people who may turn to extremism, and intervene in their lives before it is too late.

But the court was told Winter had been “radicalised” having spent more than 1,000 hours in contact with an extremist pro-Nazi online Discord group.

Police Scotland launched an investigation in the summer of 2023 after a social media photo of Winter at school wearing combat gear and carrying an imitation gun caused panic among pupils and parents.

It emerged the clothes and prop gun were issued to him for a video being made in a drama class in which he had been cast as a kidnapper.

But detectives established Winter, of Kirknewton, West Lothian, frequently spoke to other pupils about carrying out a school attack.

He also “exhibited a variety of alarming behaviours” over a 13-month period.

Classmates recalled how the teenager spoke “excitedly and with considerable enthusiasm” when he talked about Columbine and other school shootings.

Witnesses told police he “sympathised” with the Columbine killers, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.

Harris, 18, and Klebold, 17, both took their own lives in the library of the school after the attack.

Winter was also said to be so fascinated by the mass shooting that he wanted to change his name in an “act of homage” to Klebold.

A female pupil told officers he planned to start on the second floor and “clear it out” before continuing the shooting spree downstairs.

Winter was stopped by police under the Terrorism Act as he returned from holiday with his family on 9 July 2023.

Officers discovered that the schoolboy had a TikTok account which had footage of him wearing black combat clothes as well as a skeleton mask.

When his electronic devices were seized, they were found to contain files on “homemade” firearms and poisons.

The court heard he had 65 videos of Columbine and had added music which appeared to “glamorise” the mass killing.

Other pupils told how he had spoken of wanting to carry out attacks on students and teachers using guns, explosives or poison.

He also claimed he would buy a 3D printer to help construct a firearm.

Ahead of sentencing, Winter’s lawyer said that the teenager was vulnerable and a transgender person and that would need to be taken into account.

James Dalgleish, City of Edinburgh Council’s education convener, said: “While we are unable to comment on individual cases, we want to reassure the public that we have robust safeguarding procedures in place.

“We work closely with partner agencies to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all pupils and staff, and take any matters involving violence extremely seriously.”