Newton man charged with allegedly causing bedroom explosion

BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts man has been charged with participating in a scheme to cover up efforts to develop bomb-making skills after setting off an explosion last year in his dorm room at the University of Chicago, federal investigators said Thursday.

Aram Brunson, 21, of Newton, is also accused of making false statements to federal officials at Logan International Airport after his suitcases set off bomb alarms, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Boston.

Prosecutors said Brunson’s bomb-making activities were linked to his desire to take militant action against Azerbaijanis and others who pose a threat to ethnic Armenians living in the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Investigators believe Brunson is currently living in Yerevan, Armenia, and is attending American University there. The U.S. Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a question about whether Brunson has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

Brunson came to the attention of law enforcement in Chicago in January 2023 after allegedly causing an explosion in his bedroom.

Investigators said Brunson was building a large black powder device when he accidentally set it off, setting his room on fire and prompting the evacuation of the dorm. They said Brunson told police he was trying to imitate a prank he saw on the Internet.

According to investigators, Brunson also recorded videos in which he taught others how to make explosive devices and how to place grenades on doors and desks. Brunson’s Internet searches suggested he planned to take action against foreign diplomatic facilities in the United States, they said.

As Brunson was leaving Boston to travel to Armenia in August 2023, his suitcases set off alarms for an unusual and highly volatile explosive, according to court documents, and Brunson told Customs and Border Protection officials he had no idea how traces of the material ended up in his bags.

During a subsequent search of his Newton home, a recipe for making the explosive was found and a bomb-sniffing dog detected the substance in three locations in the bedroom, investigators said.

“While radical political views may be offensive, they are protected by the Constitution. However, experimenting with extremely dangerous explosives to support those views and then making false statements about his conduct is crossing the line,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy.

Efforts have been made to encourage Brunson to return to the United States to meet with agents, but he has refused through a representative, according to the criminal complaint.

Each charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.