Alexander Paffendorf, Carlsbad, California man alleged to have plotted calibrated attack on government building in San Diego at the time of Madison, Wisconsin school shooting. Recovered texts revealed coordinated plan as questions are asked how the 20 year old knew 15 year old Wisconsin shooter, Natalie ‘Samantha’ Rupnow and what led to them planning joint attacks.
A California man has been arrested for allegedly plotting a coordinated attack with Wisconsin school shooter Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow.
Alexander Paffendorf, a 20-year-old man from Carlsbad, California, was detained by the FBI for allegedly coordinating with Natalie Rupnow, the 15-year-old shooter in Monday’s Madison, Wisconsin, school attack.
Authorities claim Paffendorf planned a simultaneous assault on a government building in San Diego using explosives and firearms. Text messages between him and Rupnow revealed his intentions, which he admitted during an FBI interview. He was arrested after a restraining order was issued on Tuesday, and his court hearing is scheduled for January 3.
‘During an FBI interview, Paffendorf admitted to the FBI agents that he told Rupnow that he would arm himself with explosives and a gun that he would target a government building,’ the order stated.
According to the order, FBI agents ‘saw the messages from Paffendorf to Rupnow.’
Neighbors told CBS 8 they saw more than a dozen police cars enter the apartment complex where Paffendorf lives.
‘They had their full guns out all over the street,’ neighbor Alex Gallegos said. ‘They were cop cars. I’d say about 15 cops here.’
He said he saw police coming out of the building carrying what he described as a ‘black gun box.’
‘I saw them carrying out the big box. I didn’t see them arrest anybody, but they gave high-fives as it came to an end.’
It was not immediately clear how Paffendorf knew Rupnow, or how authorities linked the two individuals, with Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes saying he did not have any information about the arrest in California, and referred questions to the FBI.
Meanwhile, police in Wisconsin are still trying to determine what Rupnow’s motive may have been in the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School on Monday, saying it seems to have been a ‘combination of factors.’
‘Some have asked if people were specifically targeted. Everyone was targeted in this incident, and everyone was put in equal danger,’ Barnes said, according to CNN.
Substitute coordinator Erin Michelle West, 42, and 14-year-old Rubi Patricia Vergara were gunned down in the attack before Rupnow, 15, turned the gun on herself, the Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office announced Wednesday.
Six others were wounded in the shooting, and two were left in critical condition.
It is unclear whether any of the victims were specifically targeted in the attack.
Of note, Rupnow had two handguns with her during the attack but only used one to carry it out, Barnes revealed Wednesday, with the police chief telling reporters that he did not know how the teenager obtained the weapons.
‘We may never know what she was thinking that day, but we will do our best to try to add or give as much information to our public as possible,’ he said.
Investigators have been trying to figure out if the mass shooter’s parents, Jeff and Melissa, had any involvement or contributed to Natalie’s actions.
The shooter’s parents, who are divorced, jointly shared custody of their child – but Natalie primarily lived with her 42-year-old father. At the time of the shooting, Rupnow according to court documents had been attending therapy dealing with a troubled ‘home life’. It remained unclear if the 15 year old teen shooter had been on any medications.
