Florida university student found dead, was plotting attack

Washington: A 30-year-old student, whose last name indicates his South Asian descent, has been found dead at a Florida university, alongside weapons and backpack of bombs, suggesting that he was plotting an attack that could have resulted in an another Virginia Tech-style bloodbath.

The University of Central Florida said the student has been identified as James Oliver Seevakumaran. Police said yesterday that they were still trying to find the background, but noted that he appeared to be a lone wolf, who was planning a major attack on the university students, but ended up killing himself. Seevakumaran, the university said, was a student in the College of Business Administration enrolled from fall 2010 through fall 2012. "He was not enrolled in any courses in spring 2013 and was in the process of being removed from UCF housing, where he lived on the third floor of Tower 1," the university said. Seevakumaran was found in his apartment with a handgun, tactical assault rifle and backpack containing four IEDs after the police arrived inside his dorm in the wee hours yesterday after it received a 911 call regarding a man with a gun. "When police arrived, they found a victim who died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound," the university said. He died from a single shot to the head fired by a handgun, the police said. The University of Central Florida (UCF) Police Chief Richard Beary told reporters at a news conference at the university campus that said writings found in his dorm room indicated "there was a planned attack." The assault rifle had a magazine capable of holding 28 bullets, he added. "It could have been a very bad day for everyone here. Let`s just face it: One shooting is bad enough. Multiples is unthinkable," Beary said. Beary said it is likely that Seevakumaran pulled a fire alarm in Tower 1 (the dorm where he lived) shortly after midnight and planned to shoot or injure other students as they evacuated. However, it looks like that he changed his mind, returned to his room and killed himself, he noted. Based on initial investigation and feedback form other students of the university, Beary said Seevakumaran had anti-social tendencies, but did not had many friend. "It`s a tragedy, but it`s not an unspeakable tragedy," said UCF president John Hitt. "A life was lost, but it was the life of the perpetrator," he added. Beary said during the search of his room, the police found written notes, which indicated that he was planning an attack. He had laid out a time line but did not give a lot of specific details, he added. The Virginia Tech massacre was a school shooting that took place on April 16, 2007, on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Virginia in which 32 people were killed in two separate attacks. PTI