Five fifth-graders were detained on Tuesday after teachers discovered their plot to bomb a New Jersey high school during an assembly.
According to NBC New York, teachers at Elementary School #11 found written plans for an attack on Clifton High School, apparently concocted by a group comprising both boys and girls ages 10 and 11. Police said the students were planning to
"cause damage," the New York Daily News reported.
Additionally, teachers discovered that the children had brought a fake explosive device on a field trip. The device contained vinegar and cinnamon, and was nonfunctioning, however.
"It was not a prank," said Detective Sgt. Robert Bracken,
NJ.com reported. "They had a legitimate plan."
Police said that it was possible someone had helped the students come up with the bomb plot.
All of the students, reportedly four girls and one boy, were released to their parents, and were suspended from school. No official charges have been brought.
Police said the plot was an isolated incident, and that they didn't anticipate any larger security issue for the schools involved.
Law enforcement officials said that prosecutors would review the matter.