"Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski, 81, found dead in prison cell
Ted Kaczynski, who was known as the Unabomber, has died at the age of 81, reports ABC News.
A convicted domestic terrorist, Kaczynski was found unresponsive in a prison cell on Saturday at 12:30 am ET, according to a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Kaczynski had been in a maximum security facility in Florence, Colorado since 1998. However, due to health issues, he was transferred in 2021 to the Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina.
Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina (Google Maps)
The cause of death is not yet clear, a US Bureau of Prisons spokesperson told the BBC.
“Responding staff immediately initiated life-saving measures,” they stated, adding that Kaczynski was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Between May 25, 1978, to April 24, 1995, Kaczynski built and mailed out bombs that killed three people and injured 23, according to the FBI.
At the recommendation of the FBI, The New York Times and The Washington Post published his 35,000 manifesto in 1995.
“Somebody would recognize this,” said Terry Turchie, the lead FBI agent (retired) on the UNABOM Task Force, of the decision. “The writings were very passionate — that there’s no question this man really believes in what he’s writing here. So he probably held these beliefs his entire life.”
Upon reading it, Kaczynski’s brother David and sister-in-law alerted authorities. David provided letters and documents that were analyzed and matched.
The cabin near Lincoln, Montana, where Kaczynski was arrested on April 3, 1996. (FBI)
Kaczynski was arrested on April 3, 1996, in a 10 x 14-foot cabin near Lincoln, Montana, where authorities found bomb components and a journal detailing his crimes.
“He was the most careful serial bomber anyone had ever seen,” said Kathleen Puckett, special agent (retired), UNABOM task force.
He pleaded guilty in January 1998 and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
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