A "potentially catastrophic" bomb plot hatched by an expelled high school student has been foiled by police in the US city of Tampa, Florida.
Police said Jared Cano, 17, planned to lay a device at Freedom High School in north Tampa and detonate it as students began the new school year.
Fuel, shrapnel, plastic tubing and timing and fusing devices were found at his home, a police chief said.
Jane Castor said the plot was of a scale never before seen in Tampa.
Mr Cano had been expelled from the school and had hoped to kill or injure more people than the 1999 shooting by two students at Columbine High School in Colorado, Ms Castor said.
That shooting killed 12 students and a teacher.
The arrest took place after an unnamed individual "came forth with information" about the plot, Ms Castor said.
"That's what we need in this community, to have the citizens involved in keeping this community safe. And that was a prime example of allowing us to avoid a very serious event yesterday."
Jared Cano had been arrested on several juvenile charges in the past, including burglary, drug possession and weapons offences, police said.
"We've been very, very familiar with him," Police Maj John Newman said.
He is now facing charges of threatening to throw, project, place or discharge a destructive device, possession of bomb-making materials and a marijuana charge. 
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