Who was the Unabomber? What was in his manifesto?

The Unabomber back on the public's mind
Theodore Kaczynski
Harvard education
MK Ultra experiments
A young genius
A promising academic career
Isolation
MO
Targeted attacks
Anti-technology agenda
Industrial Society and Its Future
Principles
Luigi Mangione's review
Diserved punishement
New York Times and Washington Post
Eluding justice
David Kaczynski
Trial
The Unabomber back on the public's mind

Luigi Mangione reopened the discussion around the Unabomber, one of the most famous and feared domestic terrorists in recent US history.

Theodore Kaczynski

Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, died last year from self-inflicted wounds at 81 in prison. The criminal, who had terminal cancer, was responsible for the death of three people and the injuries of 23.

Harvard education

Similar to Luigi Mangione, Ted Kaczynski had a promising Ivy League education. He entered Harvard at 16 and underwent regular evaluations, which concluded that he was “exceedingly stable, well integrated.”

MK Ultra experiments

However, at Harvard, he was also a subject in a study reported to be part of the now-questioned MK Ultra program. The experiment pushed a group of volunteer students to the edge.

A young genius

It was not the first time Mr. Kaczynski had suffered psychological abuse. When he was a child, he skipped a grade after his teachers labeled him a genius. He was verbally abused and teased by the older kids.

A promising academic career

Mr. Kaczynski graduated from Harvard and began his postgraduate studies at Michigan University. After earning his Ph.D., he, then 25, accepted a short-lived position as an assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

Isolation

According to The Atlantic, he already knew he wanted to resign before starting: he was only saving for his plan to move to Montana's wilderness and live off the land.

MO

He started sending envelopes with homemade explosives from there. He attacked an American Airlines flight and the President of United Airlines. He also targeted six universities, getting the name University and Airline Bomber, or Unabomber.

Targeted attacks

However, Kaczynski also targeted specific people or businesses, like computer stores. He sent explosives to an advertising executive who had worked with Exxon and a timber lobbyist.

Anti-technology agenda

Kaczynski carefully planned his bombings, targeting only those he considered to be advancing technology and destroying the environment. He put all his ideas in the 35,000-word manifesto.

Industrial Society and Its Future

The document was titled "Industrial Society and Its Future," signed by the 'Freedom Club,' despite him being the only author. The New York Times said Mr. Mangione left a review of the text in Goodreads.

Principles

The essay, published by Penthouse and the Washington Post, said industrialization destroyed humanity and technology destabilized society.

Luigi Mangione's review

“It’s simply impossible to ignore how prescient many of his predictions about modern society turned out,” Mr. Mangione wrote in his review, the NY Times reported.

Diserved punishement

According to the newspapers, the suspect in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson also wrote the Unabomber belonged in prison because he hurt innocent people.

New York Times and Washington Post

When he wrote his manifesto in 1995, Kaczynski sent a letter to the New York Times and the Washington Post demanding its publication. In exchange, he offered to stop the bombings.

Eluding justice

According to the AP, the search for the Unabomber was the most extended and costliest the FBI had conducted. His brother David recognized his writing in the manifesto and tipped off the agency in 1996.

David Kaczynski

David Kaczynski also spoke after the media found Luigi Mangione's reviews of his brother's manifesto. He told NBC that his brother's behavior was "like a virus," as collected by Forbes.

Trial

Ted Kaczynski's trial has become controversial over the years. According to The Atlantic, he thinks his family and lawyers fabricated a narrative of mental illness to help him avoid the death penalty.

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