Theodore 'Ted' Kaczynski, infamously known as the "Unabomber," has been found dead in federal prison.
At 12:25 a.m. Saturday, the 81-year-old was discovered unresponsive at the Federal Medical Center (FMC) Butner in Butner, North Carolina.
"Responding staff immediately initiated life-saving measures. Staff requested emergency medical services (EMS), and life-saving efforts continued," the Federal Bureau of Prisons said in a press release.
Kaczynski was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The cause of death is not yet known.
The Bureau of Prisons said no other inmates or staff were injured, and at no time was there a danger to the public.
Kaczynski had been serving a life sentence. He was moved to the medical center in December after spending two decades in a federal Supermax prison in Colorado for a series of bombings that targeted scientists, according to the Associated Press.
Kaczynski carried out a string of bombings over a period of almost 17 years until forensic linguistics led to his arrest in 1996. He was found in a rural cabin in Montana after evading capture for years.
Between 1978 and 1995, Kaczynski committed 16 bombings that killed three and wounded 23 others.
The Unabomber Case Launched A New Science Using Only Words
Ted Kaczynski carried out a string of bombings over a period of almost 17 years — until forensic linguistics led to his arrest in 1995.
Kaczynski had been charged with transportation of an explosive with intent to kill or injure, mailing an explosive device with intent to kill or injure, and use of a destructive device in relation to a crime of violence, according to the Bureau of Prisons.
Well before Ted Kaczynski was ever a household name, 150 agents with the FBI, Postal Service, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives worked to figure out who he was and why he was killing seemingly random people across the country through the mail. They didn't have physical clues, so they had to rely on others — specifically, the bomber's written words.
"Unabomb" is short for "University and Airline Bombing" because the culprit initially targeted colleges and aircraft companies, leading initial profilers to assume the bomber was likely a less-educated man who once worked for the airlines. The bombs came disguised as ordinary packages addressed to anyone from professors to CEOs.
