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‘Unabomber’ Ted Kaczynski Ready To Tell His Story From Prison, With Conditions

By Pam Wright
Published on: 08:31 PST, May 23, 2016

Ted Kaczynski, known as the “Unabomber,” is apparently ready to tell his story from behind bars, with conditions.

Kaczynski, who was convicted of terrorizing the country with bombs sent through the mail, reportedly sent a handwritten letter to New Yorker writer Lawrence Wright, reports CBS News Sunday Morning correspondent Anna Werner.

In the letter, which may have been sent to other journalists as well, Kaczynski attacked his brother for helping authorities end the bombing spree and maintained once again that he is not mentally ill.

“… I am ready to speak to someone from the media regarding my brother’s recent comments and to discuss how they are being used to torment me.”

While he says he is prepared to speak out about what happened during the many years of terror, he has certain conditions that must first be met.

“‘…tell me who you are,’ ‘why I should trust you,’ and ‘[affirm] that you understand that I am NOT mentally ill.’ “

For nearly two decades, Kaczynski sent bombs through the mail, which resulted in the deaths of three people and injuring two dozen more. He was finally captured in April, 1996, when the FBI raided a shabby cabin in Montana and arrested its inhabitant, a recluse named Theodore Kaczynski, bringing an end to decades of speculation and terror.

Kaczynski was sentenced to four life terms in prison for his crimes.

Kaczynski’s brother, David, is credited with putting an end to the crime spree after he helped investigators identify him as the “Unabomber.”

David came to realize his brother was the “Unabomber” after Ted wrote a 35,000-word “manifesto” that was published in the Washington Post in 1995.

In January, 2005, David spoke to CBS News about his reasons for giving up his brother to law enforcement.

“Clearly he had to be stopped, and I don’t think there was any other way to stop him. I sometimes think maybe earlier in his life — he was my older brother. Maybe if I had recognized how seriously disturbed he was, I could have been more helpful to him.”

David penned a book in February, Every Last Tie: The Story of the Unabomber and His Family, about his brother’s mental illness, which has apparently prompted Kaczynski to reach out to reporters to prove that he is not mentally ill.

This is not the first time Kaczynski has reached out from behind bars through handwritten letters, but he has yet to speak publicly about the crime spree.

Psychologist Dr. Stephen Diamond, who has studied Kaczynski’s case, thinks this latest engagement with the media is just another example of his need to be noticed.

“It may very well be some kind of a repetition of his trying to be heard and gain some recognition.”

CBS News talked to the New Yorker writer, Lawrence Wright, who received the letter from Kaczynski.

“Wright tweeted an image of the letter on Sunday with the caption ‘The Unabomber reached out. Thanks, Ted, you’re not nuts at all.’ “

Wright told the news agency his tweet was purely sarcastic and said he has zero interest in an interview with “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski.

[Photo by AP Images]

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