Police said they seized one shotgun and several other weapons at the student's home. Police said they seized one shotgun and several other weapons at the student's home. (Vancouver Police Department)

Vancouver police say they have arrested a high school student who allegedly had guns, knives and a "hit list" with 117 names on it.

The 18-year-old suspect is a Grade 12 student at Templeton Secondary School and is facing seven charges, police revealed at a special media briefing early Monday afternoon.

Police said they seized a shotgun, ammunition, a machete, a combat knife, a sword and two collapsible metal batons, as well as a computer from the teenager's home.

Vancouver's superintendent of schools, Chris Kelly, said that given the arrest and the weapons seizure, there is no current threat to staff or students at the school.

The name of the suspect was not released, because some of the crimes he is charged with were allegedly committed before he turned 18, police said. He was not previously known to police, they confirmed.

Threats spotted on Facebook

Police were first alerted to the potential threats after six students read death threats on the Facebook website on Friday night. Later that same evening, at about 11:15 p.m. PT, police arrested the student without incident as he left his residence, they said.

About a dozen investigators were conducting interviews at the East Vancouver high school near the intersection of East Hastings Street and Nanaimo Street on Monday morning as part of the investigation

All the people whose names appeared on the alleged hit list would be contacted, police said.

Vancouver Police Insp. Scott Thompson called it a "very disturbing" incident, noting there has been a great deal of heightened awareness around such threats after previous school shootings, including postings by a man who opened fire on students at Montreal's Dawson College nearly three years ago.

Vancouver has fortunately not suffered the type of school tragedy experienced in other communities, and this incident marks the first time that any school threats have been tied to the recovery of a firearm, said police.