Northeastern Lab Manager Faked Bombing and Zuckerberg Note, FBI Says

The Northeastern University worker who initially mentioned he found a bomb and rambling letter threatening violence to each the college and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerburg was arrested early Tuesday, with the FBI alleging the person faked all of it. He beforehand denied staging the assault.

In a press convention held noon Tuesday, FBI officers mentioned 45-year-old Jason Duhaime, a tech supervisor at Northeastern University who handles IT work for the faculty, had fabricated a bombing in September and conspiracy-minded letter that brought about panic on the campus and much past. Federal regulation enforcement mentioned they discovered a word-for-word copy of the supposed bomber’s manifesto on Duhaime’s work laptop inside a backup folder. The final time the doc was edited was Sept. 13 at 2:57 p.m., simply 4 hours earlier than the person contacted police in regards to the explosives.

In an unsealed complaint, the FBI charged Duhaime with fabricating a supposed bombing incident and mendacity to the FBI. At the time of the supposed assault, police mentioned they had been known as to Holmes Hall on the school’s Boston, Massachusetts campus late on Sept. 13. Reports mentioned a person had suffered “minor hand injuries” from a supposed explosive-packed bundle inside a Pelican case. Cops mentioned they recovered one other bundle on campus however they’d it “rendered safe.”

Duhaime was arrested at his house in San Antonio, Texas the place he lives together with his girlfriend, in response to the FBI. Law enforcement mentioned this was an energetic investigation and they didn’t give any trace of Duhaime’s alleged motive. The identify of the ex-Northeastern worker’s lawyer was not obtainable by press time.

During preliminary experiences in September, the now ex-employee, who at the moment remained unnamed, informed The Boston Globe “I did not stage this… no way, shape, or form.”

The college launched an announcement following the staff arrest saying “The university does not comment on personnel matters, but we can confirm that Mr. Duhaime is no longer employed by Northeastern.” Duhaime’s identify was reportedly faraway from his campus workplace following information of his arrest.

In the Tuesday press convention, the FBI mentioned that after arriving, officers discovered the case and letter had been “pristine” and didn’t present any indicators they had been subjected to an explosion, and they didn’t discover any particles in keeping with an explosion wherever round the place the detonation supposedly occurred.

The letter included within the FBI’s doc threatened the Northeastern lab claiming its operators had been “working with Mr. Mark Zuckerberg and the US [sic] government!!!!” whereas additional decrying the lab for “using us all as human test subjects.” Duhaime’s bio mentioned he supported the college with digital and augmented actuality know-how.

Local station WCVB had beforehand reported based mostly on unnamed sources near the investigation that the incident was being investigated as a hoax, and that there had been no actual explosives contained in the packages. Those sources claimed that the person who found the packages had accidents inconsistent with what was described.

Those earlier experiences about potential fakes are in keeping with what’s alleged within the FBI’s criticism. Officers seen that Duhaime was carrying a protracted sleeve shirt. Despite accidents the tech supervisor mentioned he acquired to his decrease forearms, his shirt appeared undamaged. Based on a recorded interview included within the FBI’s paperwork, Duhaime mentioned the shrapnel from the explosion “flew up underneath” his shirt and hit his arm.