By Police1 Staff
In 1978, a homemade bomb exploded at a Chicago university.
Over the next 17 years, three people were killed and 24 were injured after the suspect mailed bombs to universities and airlines.
An FBI-lead task force, in collaboration with the ATF and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service was formed the next year. The case was nicknamed the “UNABOM” case after the “UN”iversity and “A”irline “BOM”bing targets. After years of investigations and no luck, a manifesto led to a breakthrough. For the first time, the FBI used forensic linguistics to identify and arrest a suspect.
On Aug. 1, the Discovery Channel will air “Manhunt: UNABOMBER,” an eight-episode scripted series providing an inside look at the FBI tactics and the ultimate arrest of the deadliest serial bomber in history.
Specifically, the series focuses on FBI agent and criminal profiler Jim Fitzgerald, who pioneered the use of forensic linguistics.
Check out the trailer below.