Armenian University Student Charged in Scheme to Conceal Bomb Making

BOSTON – A Newton, Mass. man has been charged with allegedly engaging in a scheme to conceal his efforts to develop bomb making skills after he triggered an explosion in his dormitory room at the University of Chicago. He is also charged with making false statements to federal officials at Logan International Airport after his bags set off alarms for explosives.

Aram Brunson, 21, is charged in a criminal complaint with falsifying, concealing and covering up a material fact by trick, scheme or device and making false statements to federal officials. Brunson is believed to be living in Yerevan, Armenia and attending the American University there.

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.

It is alleged that Brunson came to the attention of law enforcement officials in Chicago in January 2023, after he triggered an explosion in his dormitory room at the University of Chicago. Law enforcement allegedly discovered that Brunson was constructing a large black powder device when he accidentally set it off, burning his room and causing the evacuation of the dormitory. At the time, he allegedly told law enforcement that he was just mimicking a prank he had seen on the internet.

A subsequent investigation allegedly revealed that Brunson sought to engage in what he described as revolutionary direct action and terrorism in support of Armenian causes. It is further alleged that Brunson made videos of himself teaching others how to make explosive devices and rig doors and desks with grenades. His internet searches also allegedly suggested that he planned to take action against foreign diplomatic facilities in the United States.

According to court documents, in August 2023, as Brunson was departing Boston to travel to Armenia, his bags set off explosive alarms for an unusual and highly volatile explosive. He allegedly told Customs and Border Protection officials that he had no idea how or why traces of the explosive material came to be on and in his bags. It is alleged that, during a subsequent search of his Newton home, a detailed recipe for making that explosive was found and a bomb dog detected three locations in the bedroom.

“It is alleged that Mr. Brunson crossed the line between political expression and mobilization, by taking affirmative steps to carry out unlawful acts. While radical political views may be offensive, they are constitutionally protected. However, experimenting with extremely dangerous explosives in support of those views and then engaging in false statements about your conduct is crossing the line. We will investigate and prosecute anyone who crosses that line in order to keep our communities safe,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy.

“What Arum Brunson is accused of is alarming. We believe he engaged in a calculated scheme to conceal his efforts to develop bomb making skills and construct an explosive device in support of his violent extremist activity,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division.

Each of the charges provide for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.