Former University of Chicago sophomore Aram Brunson, who is now living in Armenia, has been charged with lying to federal authorities about making an explosive device. Federal authorities believe he was practicing bomb-making skills to support militant Armenian causes. Brunson set off a bomb in his dorm room on January 2, 2023, and claimed it was an accident. However, authorities found evidence of bomb-making materials in his room.
Prosecutors allege that Brunson sought to engage in revolutionary direct action and terrorism in support of Armenian causes. He made videos teaching others how to make explosives and suggested funding these activities through criminal means. Brunson had plans to target foreign diplomatic facilities in the United States and discussed potential assassination targets.
After the dorm room incident, Brunson left the country for Armenia. He was stopped at Boston Logan International Airport with traces of explosives on his luggage. Authorities later found a notebook in his parents’ house containing a formula for the explosive material. The FBI had been monitoring Brunson after the dorm room explosion and had discovered his bomb-making activities.
Brunson is charged with falsifying information to federal officials, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Authorities believe he is residing in Yerevan, Armenia and attending an American university.
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