A 20-year-old man from Carlsbad, California, has been detained on allegations of planning a mass shooting at a government building, reportedly in coordination with a school shooting carried out by 15-year-old Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow in Madison, Wisconsin, earlier this week.
According to CBS 8, FBI agents served Alexander Paffendorf with a gun violence restraining order after uncovering communications between him and Rupnow that detailed plans for an attack.
The restraining order, a civil action under California’s red flag laws, permits law enforcement to seize weapons from individuals deemed a threat.
Paffendorf reportedly admitted during an FBI interview that he had communicated with Rupnow about arming himself with explosives and firearms to target a local government building.
The restraining order cited these admissions and the FBI’s discovery of messages between the two as evidence.
The restraining order, approved by a San Diego Superior Court judge late Tuesday night, required Paffendorf to surrender any firearms and ammunition within 48 hours.
While the civil order did not specify the intended target or details of Paffendorf’s exchanges with Rupnow, the FBI’s intervention highlights the increasing reliance on proactive measures, such as red flag laws, to address potential threats.
Neighbors reported seeing