US bomb plot pupil admits guilt

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An American high school student has confessed to plotting to blow up his school in Chesterfield, South Carolina.

Ryan Schallenberger, 19, pleaded guilty to receiving and attempting to receive an explosive and attempting to damage and destroy property by explosive.

As part of the deal, prosecutors agreed to request a 10-year prison sentence. He could have faced 30 years in jail.

His parents alerted police last year when 10lb (4.5kg) of ammonium nitrate was delivered to their home.

A journal praising the two students behind the 1999 Columbine High School massacre was discovered by police as well as plans to bomb the school, including a hand-drawn map of the site.

'Embarrassed'

An audio tape that Schallenberger intended to be played after the attack on Chesterfield High School was also found.

Schallenberger's lawyer said his client - who waved at his parents as he entered the courtroom - took responsibility and regretted his actions.

"He's ashamed and embarrassed. He was suffering from a mental illness then. He's a different person now," Bill Nettles said.

A judge must approve the 10-year sentence at a subsequent hearing.

A charge of possessing an unregistered destructive device, which alone carries a 10-year sentence, was dropped.

Ammonium nitrate can be mixed with other materials to create explosives.

It is reportedly what was used in the Oklahoma City bomb attack in 1995, which killed 168 people.