FBI Arrests California Man Who Allegedly Threatened to ‘Unabomb’ Them
Mark William Anten allegedly emailed FBI agents saying that he was voted most likely in his graduating class to become the next Unabomber
A man in California was charged Thursday for allegedly threatening to “unabomb” the FBI, according to authorities.
Mark William Anten, 52, of Sun Valley was arrested on a federal complaint that alleged he sent a series of emails threatening the FBI, according to a statement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office Central District of California.
His messages included threats to bomb the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office and referenced the “notorious ‘Unabomber.’”
According to the FBI, Anten has been threatening the agency since July and referenced bombing their Westwood office. On November 2, he allegedly emailed FBI agents saying that he was voted most likely in his graduating class to become the next Unabomber.
The Unabomber is a nickname given to Theodore John Kaczynski, a domestic terrorist who started his bombing campaign in 1978. He terrorized the country over the course of 17 years until he was arrested after he had already killed three people and injured nearly two dozen more. Kaczynski pled guilty in 1998 and died by suicide in prison in June.
Anten compared himself to Kaczynski in his November 2 email, claimed that he was working on a manifesto, and signed his email “Unabomber.”
FBI agents spoke with Anten on November 20 when he admitted to sending those emails. The agents urged him to stop sending further communications, but he only escalated his threats.
He allegedly sent emails to FBI agents earlier this month, threatening to “unabomb” the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.
One of his emails read, “I can go on a mass murder spree. In fact, it would be very explainable by your actions” and signed it, “SuperMax or Death.”
In one email, Anten said that he visited the Los Angeles Field Office building on December 6 and that he would continue to visit. Surveillance footage confirmed that he was present that day.
Anten was charged with making threats by interstate communication. He could be sentenced to a maximum of five years in federal prison if convicted. He is currently detained without bond and is scheduled for arraignment on January 11 in Los Angeles.
