Police arrested a Virginia Tech college student Monday on the grounds he possessed an “assault rifle” and had plans to buy about 5,000 rounds of ammunition.
The student, 19-year-old Yunsong Zhao, now faces charges of attempting to transport a firearm while he was not a United States citizen after a “lengthy investigation” into his behavior, reports CNN. He is currently in jail without bail.
According to the arrest warrant, Zhao, a freshman at Virginia Tech, also tried to buy 5,000 rounds of ammunition while reportedly looking into bulletproof vests. Zhao also purchased a former police car and put a special bumper on it, the document added.
The school released a statement on the situation, saying that Zhao’s arrest was not connected to a rumor floating around campus that someone was gathering weapons on the campus. The school called that rumor unsubstantiated.
“At no time during this investigation did police believe there was any threat to our community, nor is there one now,” the school said in a statement. “Also on Monday, social media posts were made concerning a rumor that an individual was stockpiling weapons on or near campus. The arrest Monday was not related to the rumor nor have these rumors been substantiated in any way.”
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