Teenager in Quilmes reportedly consulted ChatGPT while planning school shooting
A 15-year-old in Argentina reportedly asked ChatGPT in August 2026 how to carry out a mass shooting at his school. After the FBI alerted Argentine authorities, police searched his home and seized tactical equipment, and the case is now under investigation by juvenile prosecutors.
What happened
A 15-year-old teenager in Quilmes, Argentina, reportedly used ChatGPT in August 2026 to ask how to organize a mass shooting at his school and kill his classmates. According to police sources, the adolescent expressed his intention to carry out a shooting at an educational establishment, initially planned for 2027, though he also expressed the possibility of accelerating the timeline.
Reported impact
The teenager's home was searched and two mobile phones, tactical gloves, camouflaged military items, and tactical protective equipment were seized. The Federal Bureau of Investigation alerted authorities on August 19, 2026, through the legal attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires.
Index analysis
The teenager is legally unimputable, as the incident occurred under the previous Juvenile Criminal Responsibility Law when he was 15 years old. He refused to testify when he and his parents appeared at the Prosecutor's Office on September 2, 2026.
Governance controls
The investigation is being handled by the Prosecutor's Office specializing in juvenile criminal responsibility in Quilmes. Judge Miriam Alcolcel of the Juzgado de Garantías del Joven Nº 1 de Quilmes ordered the search of the teenager's home. The case is classified as public intimidation, which carries a sentence range of two to six years.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.