Aram Brunson, 21, has been charged with making false statements to federal investigators after his luggage triggered an explosives alarm at Logan International Airport.
Aram was traveling from Boston to Armenia in August 2023 when his bag came under suspicion. He allegedly told law enforcement that he had no clue why his luggage would set off their alarm. Apparently satisfied with this answer, investigators allowed Aram to board his plane and travel to Armenia.
A subsequent investigation led police to Aram’s home where, according to court documents, agents found recipes for making explosives.
Additionally, law enforcement claims that Aram has posted videos to the internet showing how to make explosives and encouraging followers to use their self-made weapons for political terrorism.
According to the charging documents 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.
U.S. District Attorney’s Blog
Azerbaijanis is a predominantly Shia Muslim ethnic group living in northwestern Iran.
In 2023, while a student at the University of Chicago, Aram allegedly set off an explosive device in his dorm room, triggering the fire alarm, and causing the building to be evacuated. He supposedly told police that the explosion resulted from a prank he saw online and was attempting to mimic.
Police claim that Aram is still in Armenia and is currently unwilling to return to the United States.
If convicted, Aram faces up to five years in federal prison.