FBI hazmat teams were scrambled to an Orange County house following reports of suspicious activity by a 17-year-old, forcing his family to insist he wasn’t a terrorist.
Feds descended on the house in a guard-gated community in Irvine after the landlord reported seeing suspicious items at the residence on Monday, the Orange County Register reported.
“This is someone who is going to help cure cancer one day. He is not a terrorist,” the family’s lawyer, Charles M. Ray, told the LA Daily News.
“People are afraid of what they don’t understand,” he added.
The incident started “after a juvenile at the residence mixed unknown chemicals,” Irvine Police previously stated.
Chemical formulas written on a whiteboard were found inside the house, prompting the FBI to bring in experts from Quantico, Virginia, the LA Daily News reported.
But the student’s family has insisted he isn’t a terrorist, as they said the equipment that sparked alarm was standard chemistry equipment, such as Bunsen burners and other standard school lab equipment.
“On behalf of the family and their 17-year-old son, we categorically deny the allegations that have been suggested and reject any implication that he poses a threat in any way, shape, or form,” the family said in a written statement released Friday evening.
The teenager, who studies at UC Irvine, is “deeply committed to science, particularly biology and chemistry,” and spends his time studying and developing education content for his YouTube channel, the family’s statement continued.
His YouTube channel contained three videos as of Saturday afternoon, the most recent posted three months ago, featuring chemistry demonstrations and tutorials.
“He has a future ahead of him. He wants to go to medical school,” family attorney Ray said.
Authorities have given few public details about what they found at the house in the ritzy Altair community, which has an average property price of over $5 million.
The family has been barred from their house since Monday.
As of Sunday, authorities have announced no arrests or filed charges, and have repeatedly said there is no need for evacuations and no known threat to public safety.
The investigation was expected to continue Sunday, an Irvine Police spokesman said.