Unmasking The Unabomber | That Was The News Then: Episode 46

It was one of the most intense manhunts for one of the most wanted and elusive men in American history. For nearly two decades the Unabomber held the country hostage with a terrifying campaign of mail bombings that left federal investigators completely baffled. Join us as we look back at how the news traced the defining moments of this historic investigation from the tragic early strikes to the dramatic capture and trial that finally ended his reign of terror. Let's rewind back to 1994, the heartbreaking death of the Unabomber's second victim ignites a massive nationwide manhunt. Nationwide are hoping a serial bomber changes his pattern. He struck over the weekend the victim, an advertising executive from New Jersey. But a second attack is usually not far behind. Linda Schmidt is in Midtown with the story. Linda? Well, and the FBI is saying today that this serial bomber strikes in twos, and those attacks usually happen within just a couple of days of one another. So there could very well already be another bomb in the mail since Thomas Moser was killed in his home on Saturday. Now, that is making some of the employees – you can't really see it right behind me now because the truck is here, but Young and Rubicam, that's where we're standing right now in front of the advertising agency – and the threat of another bomb already in the mail is making some of those employees very nervous. Well, it's never comfortable walking into a building after you know that something like This has happened. I trust in Hector, who's our head of security here. And they had the FBI in here. The dog sniffed it out, and I'm hopeful that we'll all make it through this. How do you feel now, knowing the bomb explosion over the weekend? How do you feel coming into the building now? A little frightened. Are you going to find yourself checking packages and mail and things like that? Definitely. Well, you know, obviously at this moment it could certainly scare you, but, you know, it's like one of those things you live in New York with. Well, New Jersey mansion on Saturday when a package about the size of a videotape exploded in his hands. The FBI says the bomb's construction and the components are linked to 14 other mail bomb explosions nationwide since 1978. Now, the bombs are nicknamed Unabombs since the madman targets university professors and airline and computer executives. There are some red flags that you should watch out for if you receive a suspicious package. We have indicators that lead us to believe the individual is very good with explosives. He's a very meticulous individual, and we're very much concerned about trying to get him off the streets as soon as possible. Now, the likelihood of most of us receiving a mail bomb is very slim. The FBI acknowledges that. However, they say that there are certain red flags, as you just heard, that you should definitely watch for, and just keep your eyes open, especially executives of airline and computer industries and also university professors, since that seems to be the serial bomber's M.O. Now, one of the reasons that they think Mr. Moser may have been targeted is because his promotion was announced in a newspaper article earlier this month, and there have been several other victims of the serial bomber who were also highlighted in newspaper articles just before their attacks. So, of course, this investigation is full-fledged, and we'll keep you updated as we receive information. I'm Linda Schmidt. Back to you. Well, experts are piecing together a fascinating profile of a so-called serial bomber. As a matter of fact, the Unabomber, they hope it will be enough to catch the serial bomber before he strikes again. Now, Linda Schmidt joins us with new developments in the case. Well, Tony, as a matter of fact, it's now believed that the Mad Bomber lost his job to a computer, believe it or not, in the 1970s. And that's just about the time that his reign of terror began. FBI investigators believe it's the serial mail bomber's hatred of computers that could be driving him to kill. Global advertising giant Young & Rubicam recently took on two high-tech computer companies as clients. So far, the only announced link between ad executive Thomas Moser and the other victims. We're waiting for more information to come back from further analysis on the bomb fragments and other debris to get a determination as to the type of explosive used in the bomb. Hopefully some more information that ties this particular package with the Unabomber. The FBI says the deadly package was mailed from the San Francisco Bay Area one week before it exploded. The bomber targets university professors and the computer and airline industries. Now, since the first four attacks were in the Midwest, authorities have already checked the records of thousands who worked for a major airline in the Midwest and may have been replaced by computers in the late 70s when the attacks began. The FBI is also reaching out for help from computer buffs through Internet, a worldwide computer network. One message saying, quote, Internet users are precisely the type of individuals that to date have been the recipients of explosive devices attributed to Unabomber. The FBI also says it has what appears to be a note written by the bomber to call Nathan R. Wednesday at 7 p.m. prior to the bombings in 1993. Authorities believe Nathan R. could know the bomber, but not necessarily be involved with the bombings. Now, the FBI is also having more problems piecing together this latest bomb and the explosives from the attacks in 1993. Now, that's because they say the bomber is using more sophisticated materials than he did in the 1970s. So, Tony and Linda, this continues to be an extremely tough case for the FBI to crack. And fascinating as well. All right. Thanks, Linda. The FBI says it still does not have any leads in the bombing death of the New Jersey ad executive, Tom Moser. Greg Lefebvre has more on the search now for the serial bomber. The state must go. Phones ring constantly in the San Francisco FBI's Unabomber War Room. Some with tips, some duds. All important. Just since the event on Saturday and the publicity that was generated over the weekend, then people started calling on the Unabomber hotline. And there's been over 500 calls. In an unusually open investigation, the FBI scours the electronic countryside for clues. Messages on the Internet reveal a $1 million reward. More than half the money pledged by private sources. Telephone and computer connections funnel into a windowless chamber inside the San Francisco Federal Building. Then that information would be checked against our databases that have been compiled over the years to see if there's been any other mention of this individual in our investigation. And we do have literally millions of bits of information in our databanks on this investigation. That computer database forms the personality profile of a man they call Unabomber. Investigators believe the bomber is a white man, about 40, probably raised in Chicago. Obsessive and neat, his bombs often contain highly polished parts. The only sketch came from an eyewitness in Salt Lake City in 1987. Agents age-enhanced the portrait. Geographically, San Francisco agents say they know they're in the right place. Of the 15 bombs, 7 either originated or detonated near the Bay Area. And since 1985, virtually all of the bombers' activities have had some connection to San Francisco. The first person killed by Unabomber was computer store manager Hugh Scrutton. We can stop and think what those bombs consisted of. And that's washers and screws and things that you could buy at a hardware store that there was no way of checking them. The U.S. Postal Service circulates a special training tape illustrating detection techniques. It also graphically demonstrates the power of a mail bomb by use of a dummy in a mock-up office. I keep hoping that they'll find him or he'll die or whatever it is to get rid of him. Most targets seem connected to universities or technology. A scientist in Tiburon, California. A university laboratory in Berkeley, California. Advertising executive Thomas Moser may have been killed because two of his clients are computer companies. Agents say with each of his 15 bombings, Unabom leaves clues. One of them, Freeman says, will be the last piece in the FBI's megabyte puzzle. Greg LaFave, San Francisco. A chilling turning point takes place in 1995, where the previously untraceable Unabomber finally breaks his long silence. The mysterious Unabomber is making his case in a letter sent to the New York Times. It explains the reasons for the mail bombs and what it will take to stop him. Christopher Jones is in our newsroom with the explosive details. Chris? That's right, Robin. The mad Unabomber sent out letters that were delivered Monday, shortly before a package bomb went off and killed a timber executive in California. One of those letters went to the New York Times. In his letter to the Times, the Unabomber claims he belongs to a group of anarchists that advocate breaking down society into small autonomous units. He offers to stop the bombings if major print media agree to publish a 27,000-word manifesto explaining his views. An excerpt from his letter to the Times says, The people we are out to get are the scientists and engineers, especially in critical fields like computers and genetics. Federal law officials say the three letters indicate the Unabomber has gone off the deep end, perhaps set off by the Oklahoma City bombing. Letters were mailed the day after that bombing, along with a bomb that killed the president of the California Forestry Association. There is information in the letters that will assist, perhaps assist the member of the public to identify a suspect. Three people have been killed by the Unabomber in 16 attacks since 1978. Twenty-three others have been injured. A letter to the Times discussed the December killing of advertising executive Thomas Moser in New Jersey, claiming his public relations firm had represented Exxon in the Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster. Times said that claim was incorrect, but the letter made broader accusations, claiming Moser was targeted because his company was responsible for manipulating people's attitudes. In his letter, the Unabomber brags the FBI has been unable to stop his 17-year terrorist spree. He calls the FBI a joke. Now the FBI hopes these letters will give them the last laugh. I'm Christopher Jones. Back to you. He wasn't done getting his voice heard. In September 1995, the Unabomber famously releases his manifesto to the world. Well, after much debate, the Washington Post publishes the Unabomber's 35,000-word manifesto. The New York Times picked up half the cost. The publishers say they did it for public safety reasons, because the bomber said he would kill again if his manifesto was not printed by Sunday. In it, he says, the industrial revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race they have greatly increased the life expectancy of those of us who live in advanced countries but they have destabilized society end quote under the heading political correctness and leftism he writes political correctness has its stronghold among university professors who have secure employment with comfortable salaries under freedom of the press the bomber says to make an impression on society with words is almost impossible for most individuals and small groups, if we had never done anything violent and had submitted the present writings to a publisher, they probably would not have been accepted. Okay, the manifesto was published with complete approval from the federal authorities. The FBI ramp up their investigation an inch closer to putting an end to the Unabomber manhunt. The Unabomber has been sending mail bombs for the past 17 years. So far, three people have died and 23 others have been hurt. The bombing may stop because the FBI says they're closing in on a man they believe is the Unabomber. Lillia Chacon reports. The man known only as the Unabomber may soon have a real name, a name familiar to students who may have shared Chicago-area classrooms with him. The 17-year search for the Unabomber has turned into one of the most intensive manhunts in U.S. history. Investigators have followed up on literally thousands of leads and followed some of those leads right here to the campus of Northwestern University. Despite the controversy surrounding the decision to publish the Unabomber's 35,000-word manifesto, the gamble may have paid off. The Chicago Tribune reports that reading the text jogged the memory of a Northwestern University professor. He worked at the Technological Institute in the 70s and vaguely remembers a student 20 years ago asking him to read an essay. The essay denounced technology for similar reasons as those cited in the Unabomber's manifesto. The professor recalled a student's first name as Robert and his last name may have started with a V. He also said that Robert V. might have lived in Morton Grove. FBI agents are sifting through mountains of transcripts from School District 219 in pursuit of the elusive Robert V. During the 70s, we had, you know, varying enrollments, and if you look at their enrollments, there might be, you know, 6,000 to 8,000 any given year. They've also talked to about 50 teachers who worked in Maine Township during the 70s. That's before some of these Northwestern students were even born. Kids are talking about it, yeah. Talking about what may turn out to be the biggest break so far on the trail of a killer. In Chicago, Lillia Ciccone, Fox News. In a shocking twist, the FBI received a startling close-to-home lead regarding the bomber's true identity. Investigators call the brother of Unabomber suspect Ted Kaczynski a national hero. A family lawyer met with reporters today in Washington. He says David Kaczynski first suspected his brother was the Unabomber last summer after finding some of his writings. Then after David read the Unabomber's manifesto, he hired a private investigator who went to the FBI. Our hearts are with Ted. Our deep sympathies go out to the victims and their families. Family members claim they knew nothing about the million-dollar reward in the case. Also in Washington today, federal prosecutors from the seven states where bombs were sent met to plan their legal strategy against Ted Kaczynski. That crucial tip led to the news the country was waiting for for nearly 20 years. The FBI had a suspect in custody, and Fox 5 went behind the bus. Well, we have more now from Rusty Dornan on the man suspected of being the Unabomber. Atop the hillside next to Ted Kaczynski's shack, RVs and a U-Haul truck, evidence of a high-tech investigative onslaught of what some say was a low-tech bomb lab. For the first time, court papers confirmed the discovery of explosive devices and bomb components in the cabin, citing the bombs as reasons for unexpected delays in the search. A federal court judge denied Kaczynski's attorney an inventory of what agents have found so far, saying it's premature. The judge extended the search warrant until April 15, also denying a similar request by three media organizations, claiming it could compromise the investigation, a point argued by news media attorneys. At this stage, the only suspect appears to be in custody, and because there is no risk of destruction or removal of evidence or tampering with witnesses by the suspect or by any co-conspirators. The mailbox, which once bore Kaczynski's name, now gone, removed by agents who feared someone else would take it for a trophy. One of the few folks besides the FBI agents to ever see the inside of the hermit's cabin was the local census taker, who stopped by in 1990. A lot of people asked me, well, was it really dirty, which it wasn't. He had a little bunk for a bed, so I remember I had a couple of trunks and some books stacked on him. Two years ago, Kaczynski sought the friendship of Becky Garland, manager of Garland's Town and Country, a place he'd shopped for years. A well-known environmentalist in Montana, Garland said he reached out and even wrote her a letter, a letter she claimed she threw away. The letter basically just explained who he was and kind of maybe a little bit of some bad happenings in his life and maybe why he was reclusive. While reports have linked Kaczynski to radical environmental groups, Garland claims that would be news to her. She never heard anything radical or violent from Kaczynski. He's a bit of a loner and quiet, but he never raised the hackles on the back of my neck. So I was never really afraid of him. Recent news reports link the environmental group Earth First with Kaczynski, claiming some of the Unabomber victims were targeted by the group. Now Earth First plans a press conference to deny a connection. But some folks opposed to Earth First say there are links that can be made between the group and Kaczynski. And the debate over the secret life of the 53-year-old recluse rages on. Rusty Dornan, Helena, Montana. The man who is suspected of being the Unabomber goes on trial on Monday. and today we are learning more about the incredible detective work that led the FBI to Theodore Kaczynski's cabin. Rusty Dornan has the story For five weeks, FBI agents waited and watched the tiny town of Lincoln, Montana. They couldn't get close to the 13 by 13 cabin where Ted Kaczynski, the hermit suspected of being the Unabomber, lived. No one could physically do surveillance on Ted Kaczynski because you couldn't do that without leaving tracks in the snow. Remnants of a root cellar. Jim Freeman, the FBI agent who headed the Unabomber Task Force, now retired, says days and minutes leading up to the arrest were tense. Agents only knew Kaczynski was inside the cabin because smoke occasionally rose from the chimney. Then barking dogs gave them one brief glimpse. In fact, he did just open the door, stick his head out and yell at the dogs or something. So that was the only visual sighting of Ted up until the time we served the search warrant on April 3rd. Agents suspected the area surrounding the cabin was booby-trapped. Those nine agents took an hour and a half to creep and wiggle into and to place around the cabin within about 30 yards of the cabin. And that was really, truly the first time that we physically had it surrounded. These two FBI agents posing as mining surveyors walked up to the cabin and yelled out, and Kaczynski came to the door. They asked him to help them find the property line. He said, let me get my coat, and turned to go in, and at that point they were close enough to him that they grabbed him and pulled him outside the doorway. The cabin was filled with boxes and books. What agents feared were bombs. So they asked him, were there any dangerous items in the cabin? Kaczynski declined to answer. In the end, we were right because there was a live bomb inside there and many bomb components. Kaczynski seemed calm, says Freeman, but... He looked dirty, he looked disheveled, and frankly, he had quite an odor about him. The defense brought the cabin to Sacramento to show the jury how Kaczynski lived, to show how no one in his right mind could live like that. Prosecutors say his appearance and lifestyle in the primitive cabin should be barred as testimony during the trial. It hints at mental illness. And since no other mental experts will testify during the trial, it's misleading, they say. The judge will rule on the issue before opening statements Monday. Rusty Dornan reporting. With the suspect in custody, it was time to build the case to make sure the Unabomber was put behind bars for the rest of his life. Right now, Ted Kaczynski is only charged with having parts of a bomb in his cabin. But federal agents say, just wait. And they are hoping this minor charge gives them enough time to pile up a mountain of evidence that Kaczynski is the Unabomber. Eric Sean reports from Helena, Montana, where the suspect is being held. Carol, the Unabomber has dedicated his life to terror and death. And tonight, the suspect, Ted Kaczynski, remains behind bars after his first public court appearance. While 40 miles away, investigators sift through his filthy cabin, hoping to find the clues that could prove he is the Unabomber. It is an image that has haunted law enforcement for decades, and now investigators are determining if it belongs to Ted Kaczynski. The 53-year-old former math professor is now charged with possessing components of a bomb, after the FBI says a partially constructed pipe bomb and other materials were discovered in his remote log cabin in the tiny mountain town of Lincoln, Montana. But there is not enough evidence against Kaczynski for U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno to brand him the Unabomber. What I think is very important is that the investigation is continuing. Agencies have been working together. They have done an excellent job, but we have much to do yet. Kaczynski, looking gaunt and thin, spoke softly in the hushed federal courtroom. He acknowledged his name, answered no when asked if he had any mental impairments, and admitted he does not have enough money for a lawyer. The Unabomber case was not even mentioned. But the FBI says they found a bomb-making factory in his cabin, including explosive chemicals, pipes of galvanized metal, copper, plastic, and three ten-ring binders filled with meticulous notes in English and Spanish with diagrams of explosive devices. All I've ever seen him is riding his bicycle back and forth into town. He's very quiet. He's very well read. He's very uncapped. Kaczynski lived in a shack without any electricity or running water. A 1962 graduate of Harvard, he is now in jail on a suicide watch. He's in a cell that has bulletproof glass that he can be observed by the detention officers. The felony count is designed to hold Kaczynski to give authorities time to make their case against him. Well, at the cabin, they are x-raying everything, fearing it could be booby-trapped. But tonight, after 17 years, three deaths, and nearly two dozen injuries, Investigators are just relieved the prime suspect is finally in custody. We're in Helena, Montana tonight. I'm Eric Schaun, Fox News. Carol, back to you at home. Thank you, Eric. There was a million-dollar reward on the head of the Unabomber. That won't be paid out until someone is convicted. Federal agents say Kaczynski's brother may not have even known there was a reward when he decided to contact the FBI. John? Well, when the family was living in Evergreen Park outside Chicago, Mr. Kaczynski was known as quiet but brilliant. He even skipped a grade in high school. He was 20 when he got through Harvard. He went on to do graduate studies at Michigan. He was a fairly intense person, very serious about his mathematics, very talented, very promising. Maybe his ideas are not our ideas. And why he picked on people for no good reason. Bessie Dudley's son, Hugh Scrutton, was killed by the Unabomber in a blast at his computer store in Sacramento. She and other victims and their families are sure hoping this means the end of the terror. The entire country is breathing a sigh of relief now that there is a suspect in custody, but no one is happier than the people who lost loved ones to the madness. Dr. David Mosser's brother was killed by the Unabomber in his home in South New Jersey. Here's what he had to say. We've had a lot of emotional ups and downs. Every time we get news about a potential suspect, we go through this sort of emotional high, and then only to find out it wasn't him. The other thing I'd like to do more than anything is just have five minutes in a room with this guy to tell him what a great human being my brother was so that he would know the enormity of the mistake that he made. Dr. Mosser was spooked by his brother's murder. He has every package delivered to his house tested for bombs. The focus moved from the remote wilderness to the courtroom as the highly anticipated trial officially got underway in 1997. The man accused of terrorizing people for 18 years goes on trial today. Federal prosecutors say that Ted Kaczynski is a Unabomber, a cold-blooded killer. Fox reporter Trace Gallagher joins us now live from the courthouse in Sacramento, California. Trace, good afternoon. Good afternoon, Mario. In fact, court is now in session. Theodore Kaczynski is inside the courtroom. He arrived here a short time ago under heavily armed guard. The media was not allowed to take his picture. He is, of course, here for the beginning of jury selection. but jury selection cannot begin until Judge Garland Burrell decides if he alone will question the jurors or if he'll allow prosecutors and defense attorneys to also question them. The object, of course, is to trim this jury pool from 600 to 12. Theodore Kaczynski, Harvard graduate, described by many as brilliant and reclusive, described by the government as brutal and elusive, as the man who conducted a bloody 18-year bombing campaign that killed three and injured 23, though his California trial is only in connection with four bombings, one that killed Sacramento computer store owner Hugh Scrutton, another that took the life of timber lobbyist Gilbert Murray, and two more that injured university professors Charles Epstein and David Gelernter. We know that perfectly sane men are capable of indescribable acts of bestiality. But is Theodore Kaczynski sane? We've got some arguments that we hope will prevail, and we'll do that, sure. His attorneys have hinted they may use a mental defect defense, arguing that Kaczynski could not rationally form the intent to kill. If so, that theory would have to stand up against a mountain of government evidence. The most damning, apparently, are journals found in Kaczynski's Montana cabin, where prosecutors say Kaczynski meticulously detailed every bomb and every bombing. But if one believes what the prosecution claims it has, then of all the big trials we've seen in the 90s, this is clearly the one with the most solid prosecution case. And there is still a great deal of speculation the defense may try and plea bargain this case. So far, our prosecution sources tell us they have heard of no such deal. Incidentally, Mario and Carol, Wanda and David Kaczynski, the defendant's mother and brother, have not shown up in court. This jury selection could take anywhere from four to six weeks. Reporting live in Sacramento, Trace Gallagher, Fox News. Just over two months later, the Unabomber finally faced his fate. Officials have closed the book on the Unabomber case. Ted Kaczynski stopped his trial before it even began yesterday, taking a plea bargain and pleading guilty. That means Kaczynski will avoid the death penalty, probably spend the rest of his life in jail. Outside the court, Kaczynski's brother spoke to the victims and their families. You have displayed remarkable grace, courage, and dignity in your loss. And in this, you are an inspiration to us. You will be in our hearts and thoughts forever. Kaczynski will be sentenced on May 15th. Was the news then.