Civil Liberties

Gunman Hoax Was Retaliation Against MIT for Aaron Swartz

The lethal prosecution pissed off a lot of people

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The person responsible for a hoax threat at MIT Saturday, said the gunman was retaliating for the suicide of Aaron Swartz.

Swartz was an Internet freedom activist who killed himself just before going on trial for stealing documents from MIT.

MIT's Executive VP and Treasurer Israel Ruiz sent a letter out to the MIT community on Wednesday with a detailed account of the events.

He says the incident was reported to Cambridge Police through a Sprint relay message service designed for people with hearing or speech impediments.