By Steve Macko
Chicago, IL (ENN)-- Contrary to reports of a few weeks ago, it appears that the trail in the investigation for the infamous Unabomber has not grown cold. The 90-man Unabomber Task Force, made up of investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigaton, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the United States Postal Service, have compiled an ever changing list of about 200 suspects. As of the moment, no one person has been singled out and even some suspects who appeared to be strong possibilites have been thrown off the list.
Two strong possible suspects were a bomber who was active with the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) in the 1970's and an anti-war radical who remains a fugitive. But authorities now say that these two individuals are not the Unabomber. FBI spokesman George Grotz said, "If we had an individual who rises to the level of significant scrutiny, at some point, the public would be advised."
The members at the Unabomber task force headquarters in San Francisco are currently looking at a number of "Robert Vs" at the moment. This is based upon a cryptic note found at one of the bombings and on the memories of a college professor.
The top ATF member of the task force, Mark Logan, said, "We have a list of people we are looking at, but the list changes daily." The list of 200 possible suspects evolved out of a series of recent meetings and a review of the focus of the task force and suspects.
The two men that investigators have now taken off the list were 47-year-old Leo Burt and the SLA's bomb expert, who disappeared in the 1970's, James Kilgore. Burt was a anti-Vietnam War radical who is accused of the bombing at the University of Wisconsin Army Mathematics Research Center in August of 1970. At least one person was killed in the bombing. Burt then disappeared from sight and in 1972 had a manifesto of his own published in a leftist publication. Burt's manifesto had some similarities to the recently published Unabomber's manifesto. Burt criticized bureaucratic tendencies, worried about the destruction of the individual in modern society and wanted change to come from the bottom and work itself upwards. Burt is also said to bear some physical resemblence to a composite drawing that has been made of the Unabomber.
The other man who was thought to be a potential suspect is James Kilgore. Kilgore disappeared in the 1970's and was the bomb expert for the infamous Symbionese Liberation Army, the group that kidnapped newspaper heiress Patty Hearst. It is said that Kilgore liked to use the same brand of batteries as the Unabomber.
But according to the FBI, neither of these two seem to be the Unabomber. FBI spokesman Grotz said, "I would not put them in a high priority status as Unabomb suspects."
The man in charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in San Francisco said, "We looked at Burt and Kilgore a few years ago ... we never found any reason to believe it was either of those folks."
The thing that basically eliminates Burt and Kilgore is the psychological profile of the Unabomber. Psychologists believe that the Unabomber is a loner and is unlikely to have ever been a member of an organized political group. He is white and is in his late 30s or 40s. The Unabomber is meticulous. He must be, otherwise his bombs could blow up in his face. He is believed to be anti-social. He probably drives an older model car and keeps it in excellent condition. There may be a woman in his life, but the relationship would be based upon convenience and she would not have complete access to the Unabomber's home or a workshop. It is believed that the bomber lives in the San Francisco-Sacramento area.
So, investigators continue to look at many "Robert Vs." According to Grotz, "The name Robert V has been known to the task force for a couple of months, and due to the potential link between the name and a previous note ... several Robert Vs have been interviewed."
The investigation has centered a lot on a possible Northwestern University connection. The FBI does believe that the Unabomber grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago, the area of Niles and Morton Grove have been looked at hard by authorities. Incidentally, that area is not far from the offices of ERRI. The Unabomber is believed to have attended either Northwestern University in Evanston or the University of Illinois.
One thing is for certain. The investigators of the Unabomber Task Force in San Francisco do not believe that they have heard the last of the man that they continue to search for.
(c) EmergencyNet NEWS Service, 1995, All rights reserved.