Three students at a Southwest Florida charter school were arrested after they allegedly plotted to set the school on fire to kill who they called the "rude people."
The three students, all in the sixth grade at Six Mile Charter Academy in Lee County, were arrested and charged with conspiring to commit first-degree arson, NBC affiliate WBBH-TV reported.
Deputies responded to the school on Monday in reference to a threat involving the students, who planned to commit arson in an upstairs bathroom during school hours.
A lighter was found in the backpack of one student, who later said the plan was for the whole second floor to burn after she ran downstairs to report the fire so younger children could be evacuated.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
One witness told deputies about the plan and heard one student say she was going to "pretend to cry" while another student was going to get extra paper for the fire.
"We are very proud of the brave students who advised administration when they found out about the plot and allowed us to immediately address the situation," the school said in a statement. "As a result of students choosing to do the right thing, the rest of our school family can now continue learning as usual.“
