Police arrested an employee at Northeastern University in Boston on Tuesday after he allegedly created a hoax about a package blowing up in a mail room last September.
Law enforcement arrested suspect Jason Duhaime outside of his San Antonio, Texas, home after he fabricated false information about a bomb threat as well as lying to federal investigators, NBC News reported. The package bombing from Sept. 13 apparently never happened at all, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Journalist Claims Large Bank Is Locking Some Customers Out Of Accounts Forever)
“This alleged conduct is disturbing to say the least,” United States attorney Rachel Rollin said at a press conference, according to the Associated Press. “Our city, more than most, knows all too well that a report or threat of an explosion is a very serious matter and necessitates an immediate and significant law enforcement response, given the potential devastation that can ensue.”
Duhaime had been employed as the school’s new technology manager director of the university’s Immersive Media Lab at the time of the incident, according to the outlet.
Northeastern University lab director charged with making up bomb threat https://t.co/kULIZZjRSF pic.twitter.com/IESnEZmh9e
— New York Post (@nypost) October 4, 2022
Duhaime allegedly claimed that a hard plastic container had blown up, leaving him with minor injuries. Inside the package, law enforcement reportedly found a letter criticizing Facebook CEO Marc Zuckerburg and the “relationship between academic institutions and virtual reality.”
An initial investigation held in September found inconsistencies with Duhaime’s story, and his purported injuries did not match typical explosion-consistent wounds.