This is very disturbing news that's been breaking today.
Investigators asked for help Thursday as they searched for a man seen in a mall in Littleton, Colorado, shortly before what they described as a possible attempt to bomb the shopping center on the anniversary of a shooting spree 12 years earlier at the nearby Columbine High School.
Authorities told reporters at a news conference that the man they are seeking is a "person of interest," and they asked for help from the news media and public in identifying him.
No evidence exists so far of a link to the Columbine shootings, Jefferson County Sheriff Ted Mink said, but he acknowledged the possibility was on the minds of law enforcement officials.
"There's not a definite link that we have right now to anything at Columbine other than the date," Mink said, adding that the April 20th anniversary of the shootings "is fresh on everyone's mind."
A security camera shows the man sought by authorities in the mall just minutes before a security guard noticed a fire. Investigators say that fire may have been part of an attempt to detonate explosives.
The incident happened Wednesday at the Southwest Plaza Mall, less than two miles from Columbine High School. It came on the 12th anniversary of the shooting at Columbine that left 12 students and a teacher dead at the hands of two other students, who then killed themselves.
Speculating is not an option since it's too early to tell and the investigation is hitting its stride, but it appears to be a form of domestic terrorism either way.
