BOSTON—A Harvard University student appeared briefly in federal court Wednesday, accused of making a bomb threat that forced the evacuation of four campus buildings so he could get out of a final exam.
Eldo Kim, 20, did not enter a plea and was due to return to court later in the day so prosecutors can argue that he should be held at least until a detention hearing. They also said, however, that they are discussing alternatives with his attorneys.
Kim, wearing a gray T-shirt and sweatpants, appeared somber as he stood before the judge. Bermjoon Kim, who works at the Korean consulate in Boston, attended the hearing but said the FBI told him Kim is a U.S. citizen. The consulate is trying to determine whether he has dual citizenship, in which case it would facilitate communication with any relatives in Korea.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Boston alleges Kim sent hoax emails Monday saying shrapnel bombs would go off soon in two of four buildings on Harvard’s Cambridge, Mass., campus. The emails came minutes before he was to take a final exam in one of the buildings.
The buildings were shut down for hours before investigators determined there were no explosives.
Harvard said it was saddened by the allegations but would have no further comment on the investigation.
Alexander Ryjik, a junior from Alexandria, Va., was about to take his Politics of American Education final in Emerson Hall when alarms went off and he had to leave. He recognized Kim from the class but did not know him personally. He said Wednesday he was not surprised to hear that authorities believe a student is responsible for the hoax.
