DC potential school shooting threat thwarted by ATF agents

Potential DC school shooting thwarted by ATF agents

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Metro Transit Police disrupted what could have led to a school shooting in D.C., the agency says.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Metro Transit Police disrupted what could have led to a school shooting in D.C., the agency says. 

What we know:

A 16-year-old student was arrested Wednesday night after an investigation following social media posts that contained alleged violent threats towards a school. FOX 5 has learned that the school is IDEA Public Charter School. 

A source tells FOX 5 that the student posted a photo on Instagram of himself holding a gun, captioned "on my way to school." 

He was arrested on suspicion of threats to kidnap and injure, receiving stolen property, possession of a large-capacity feeding device and unlawful possession of guns and ammunition, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. Officials say they found seven guns after serving a search warrant. 

A source tells FOX 5 that the discovery was thanks to a sting initiative as part of a partnership between FBI and MPD. It's unclear why Metro Transit is handling it. 

Leavitt gave credit to the Trump administration for the arrest. 

"This was a juvenile who was a risk to not just himself, but the community here in Washington," Leavitt said. "And he was removed from the community last night because of the law enforcement efforts of this administration."