Ted Kaczynski
Ted Kaczynski | |
|---|---|
Kaczynski after his arrest in 1996 | |
| Born | Theodore John Kaczynski May 22, 1942 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | June 10, 2023 (aged 81) Durham, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Other names |
|
| Education | |
| Occupation | Mathematics professor |
| Notable work | Industrial Society and Its Future (1995) |
| Relatives | David Kaczynski (brother) |
| Convictions | Transportation, mailing, and use of bombs (10 counts) First-degree murder (3 counts) |
| Criminal penalty | Several consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole[a] |
| Details | |
Span of crimes | 1978–1995 |
| Killed | 3 |
| Injured | 23 |
Date apprehended | April 3, 1996 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Complex analysis |
| Institutions | |
| Thesis | Boundary Functions (1967) |
| Doctoral advisor | Allen Shields |
| Other academic advisors | George Piranian |
| Signature | |
Theodore John Kaczynski (/kəˈzɪnski/ ⓘ kə-ZIN-skee; May 22, 1942 – June 10, 2023), also known as the Unabomber (/ˈjuːnəbɒmər/ ⓘ YOO-nə-bom-ər), was an American mathematician, domestic terrorist and serial killer.[1][2] A mathematics prodigy, he abandoned his academic career in 1969 to pursue a reclusive primitive lifestyle and lone wolf terrorism campaign.
Kaczynski murdered 3 people and injured 23 others between 1978 and 1995 in a nationwide mail bombing campaign against people he believed to be advancing modern technology and the destruction of the natural environment. He authored a roughly 35,000-word manifesto and social critique called Industrial Society and Its Future (1995) which opposes all forms of technology, rejects leftism and fascism, advocates cultural primitivism, and ultimately suggests violent revolution.[3]
In 1971, Kaczynski moved to a remote cabin without electricity or running water near Lincoln, Montana, where he lived as a recluse while learning survival skills to become self-sufficient. After witnessing the destruction of the wilderness surrounding his cabin, he concluded that living in nature was becoming impossible and resolved to fight industrialization and its destruction of nature through terrorism. In 1979, Kaczynski became the subject of what was, by the time of his arrest in 1996, the longest and most expensive investigation in the history of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The FBI used the case identifier UNABOM (University and Airline Bomber) before his identity was known, resulting in the media naming him the "Unabomber".
In 1995, Kaczynski sent a letter to The New York Times promising to "desist from terrorism" if the Times or The Washington Post published his manifesto, in which he argued that his bombings were extreme but necessary in attracting attention to the erosion of human freedom and dignity by modern technologies.[4] The FBI and U.S. attorney general Janet Reno pushed for the publication of the essay, which appeared in The Washington Post in September 1995. Upon reading it, Kaczynski's brother, David, recognized the prose style and reported his suspicions to the FBI. After his arrest in 1996, Kaczynski—maintaining that he was sane—tried and failed to dismiss his court-appointed lawyers because they wished him to plead insanity to avoid the death penalty. He pleaded guilty to all charges in 1998 and was sentenced to several consecutive life terms in prison without the possibility of parole.[a] In 2021, he received a cancer diagnosis and stopped treatment in March 2023. Kaczynski hanged himself in prison in June 2023.[10][7][11]
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ Mahan & Griset (2008), p. 132.
- ^ Haberfeld & von Hassell (2009), p. 40.
- ^ Fleming, Sean (2022). "The Unabomber and the origins of anti-tech radicalism". Journal of Political Ideologies. 27 (2): 2–3. doi:10.1080/13569317.2021.1921940. ISSN 1356-9317.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
desistwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ U.S. v. Kaczynski, 551 F.3d 1120 (9th Cir. 2009)
- ^ U.S. v. Kaczynski, 239 F.3d 1108 (9th Cir. 2001)
- ^ a b Sisak, Michael R.; Balsamo, Mike; Offenhartz, Jake (June 11, 2023). "'Unabomber' Ted Kaczynski died by suicide in prison medical center, AP sources say". Associated Press. Archived from the original on June 12, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
- ^ Johnston, David (May 5, 1998). "Unabomber Sentenced to 4 Life Sentences". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 26, 2024. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Boston eight lifewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Thrush, Glenn (June 11, 2023). "Kaczynski Died by Suicide, Prompting Questions of Prison Security". The New York Times. p. A20. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
- ^ Ortiz, Erik (April 17, 2024). "'Unabomber' Ted Kaczynski had late-stage rectal cancer and was 'depressed' before prison suicide, autopsy says". NBC News. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
'At around midnight on June 10, 2023, he was found to have hung himself from a handicap rail in his room with shoelaces,' the report says. 'He was initially pulseless, and resuscitation was initiated.' There was a "return of spontaneous circulation" before he was transferred to Duke University Hospital in Durham where his blood pressure remained low, according to the report. He was pronounced dead at 8:07 a.m.