Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski, the man dubbed by the FBI as the “Unabomber” who later admitted to committing 16 bombings between 1978 and 1995, has died.
The Associated Press reports Kaczysnki died Saturday at age 81 in federal prison. A cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
In 1995, the Washington Post published Kaczynski’s 35,000-word manifesto that ultimately led to his arrest after analysis by his own family.
Together with his wife Linda Patrik, Kaczynski’s younger brother David analyzed letters exchanged with the elder Kaczynski to find similarities before implicating his brother.
David Kaczynksi, who resided in New York’s Capital Region, later became a staunch advocate against the death penalty.
In an archival interview with WAMC’s President emeritus Alan Chartock, David Kaczynski remembered coming to the realization that manifesto was written by his brother.
“I recall waking up some mornings and thinking that I knew, one way or the other. I mean, one morning, I would wake up and say to myself, ‘You know, this can't be, you know, there's 280 million people in our country, what are the chances that Ted could be the guilty party here? Very small. I'm projecting my fears. I've been worried about my brother.’ Another morning, I would wake up and say, ‘David, the truth is staring you in the face, and you're in denial about it, it must be him. Who else could it be?’ And typically, I would wake up, in those first few seconds of awakening, thinking, ‘Man, that was a bad, bad dream,’ only to realize a few moments later that it was no dream.”
You can listen to the entire interview here.
