Man charged with threatening to bomb Harvard University event for black graduates
A man who allegedly threatened to bomb a Harvard University event honouring the achievements of black students has been arrested.
Nicholas Zuckerman is accused of publishing a string of sinister posts on the prestigious institution’s official Instagram account in May 2017.
The 24-year-old from Arizona has been charged on two counts of transmitting in interstate and foreign commerce a threat to injure the person of another, Massachusetts prosecutors said. He will appear in a federal court in Boston at a later date.
The university was preparing to hold its first ever commencement ceremony specifically recognising the achievements of black graduates, an event attended by several hundred people, when Mr Zuckerman allegedly made the post.
Ten days before the event was set to commence, Zuckerman allegedly called for a shooting to take place in a comment made on the Harvard Instagram feed.
“If the blacks only ceremony happens, then I encourage violence and death at it. I’m thinking two automatics with extendo clips. Just so no n***** gets away,” the post read.
He is also accused of making several bomb threats, writing “#bombharvard and end their pro-black agenda”, before responding “#bombharvard”, to other users’ posts 11 times in the space of four minutes.
A member of the public reported the posts to the Harvard University police, who then referred the case to federal authorities, the US Attorney for the District of Massachusetts said.
Under US law a charge of transmitting threats to injure a person carries a maximum prison sentence of five years and a fine of $250,000 (£186,500).
