EXCLUSIVE - Boys plan payback with bombs and guns

Police have foiled a terror plot hatched by four Northland teenagers that involved blowing up safes, ordering weapons on the internet and targeting people on a revenge hit-list.
The students - all in their mid-teens and from the Kaipara and Bream Bay areas - had already executed the first two stages of their plan, by stealing chemicals to build a bomb using plans taken from the internet.
They also stole DVD players and laptops they planned to sell so they could pay for firearms ordered via the internet.
Their detailed, hand-written plans outlined their next step, which was to blow up a Te Hana service station safe and make off with the cash.
But this week police thwarted the plan they describe as "disturbing" and "like a plot from a B-grade movie".
Bream Bay Area commander Sergeant Ken Andrews said police were taking the plot very seriously.
"This has very serious overtones. It's definitely an incredible plan but very disturbing. This is out of the norm for Northland and out of the norm nationwide."
Mr Andrews said he was relieved police had intercepted the teens before they progressed to bombing the Te Hana service station. "It's tainted with unbelievability but it was a plan in progress and it was stepping up to another level. Who knows where it would have stopped?
"You would hope at some point they would come to their senses and the master plan wouldn't come to fruition. No one wants this sort of crime in their community."
The youths, three aged 16 and one 15, have been referred to the Police Youth Aid section but charges and further legal action are expected. Because of their age, the Advocate is barred from publishing details that would identify the teens or the schools they attended.
The police investigation was sparked by a parent who discovered a stolen laptop computer in one of the teenager's bedrooms.
Officers then found chemicals stashed in one boy's room, and learned that boltcutters had been used to break into a chemical storage area at a high school.
Less than two weeks after the chemical raid, the youths used a stolen car to return to the school and steal six new DVD players and three laptop computers.
Police discovered detailed plans about the two school raids that outlined call signs and tasks for each member of the group.
Other paperwork documented a plan to break into a paintball centre and steal guns, ammunition and carbon dioxide cannisters.
Bomb plans were also found along with a comprehensive floor plan of the Te Hana service station, including the position of security cameras and the service station safe.
The group had decided any cash from the burglaries would be divided equally after the cost of the operations had been deducted.
During the police investigation one student revealed he planned to buy firearms off the internet, using the proceeds from the bombing and burglaries, to take revenge on people he believed had hurt his girlfriend.
He had a "wish list" of high-powered weapons complete with pictures of each, and had information about Russian snipers awarded medals during both World Wars.
"It seems a bit dreamy but they were doing it," Mr Andrews said.
One of the boys had been motivated by a desire to take revenge against teachers at his school.
Also discovered during the searches was a soft-pellet air pistol that was difficult to tell from a genuine pistol.
"Using a weapon in crime puts it into a very serious bracket. It's hard to tell the difference between this airgun and a real pistol."
The owner of Te Hana's Gas Alley service station, Jaswinder Singh, said an attempt had been made two weeks ago to break into his business, the would-be thieves smashing a window and a sliding door. But police had not warned him about any plot to blow up his safe, he said.