Eldo Kim ’16 charged in Harvard bomb threat

Eldo Kim ’16 was allegedly trying to avoid a final exam.

According to an affidavit filed with the U.S. district attorney, Kim told authorities he was “motivated by a desire to avoid a final exam scheduled to be held on [Monday].”

According to an affidavit filed with the U.S. district attorney, Kim told authorities he was “motivated by a desire to avoid a final exam scheduled to be held on [Monday].”

Sophomore Eldo Kim has been charged by U.S. prosecutors with e-mailing bomb threats that shut down four buildings at Harvard on Monday during final exams, report several news sources, including The Harvard Crimson and The Boston Globe.

Charged with a single count of making a bomb hoax, Kim is facing up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz. According to the Globe, his initial court appearance is set for tomorrow before U.S. magistrate Judge Judith Dein in Boston, and he will be represented by a federal public defender.

According to news reports, the threats were e-mailed to two Harvard officials, the campus police, and the student newspaper at about 8:30 a.m. on Monday and warned of “shrapnel bombs” in Sever, Emerson, Thayer, and the Science Center. The e-mails were sent from a disposable, temporary e-mail address with a temporary Internet Protocol number, reports the Crimson, but after University officials determined that the suspect had used a Harvard wireless network to create the secretive IP, an investigation led authorities to interview Kim in his dormitory on Tuesday night. According to an affidavit filed with the U.S. district attorney, Kim told authorities he was “motivated by a desire to avoid a final exam scheduled to be held on [Monday].”

For extensive coverage of these events as well as background information on Kim, see coverage in The Harvard Crimson.

 

Related topics

You might also like

The division is launching a new fundraising effort to support 50 additional students.

President Alan M. Garber used traditional Memorial Church address to consider the unique qualities of human intelligence and learning.

Due to rain, the University held dual Convocation ceremonies for the Class of 2030 in Sanders Theatre.

Most popular

The University will compensate families of those whose remains were sold and establish a scholarship to honor anatomical donors.

Why Some Citizens Reject Science

Bridging the gulf to science deniers

Harvard’s Arctic Initiative brings together researchers from across disciplines to understand rapid warming.

Explore More From Current Issue

Portrait of a man in a denim shirt beside a blue book cover for "Gretal and the Great War" featuring an illustration of a leg holding an army helmet..

The Gretel and the Great War author on how the Lampoon derailed his science career—and set him on a literary path.

A woman with long, wavy hair wearing a white suit, seated in a bright, modern room.

The Harvard graduate’s roundtable talk show touches on hot button issues from religion to sex. 

A glowing bulb shape surrounded by colorful, swirling energy lines against a blue background.

Harvard researchers achieve medical breakthroughs in cancer therapy and infection control.