Kaczynski's cabin moved to Air Force base

Unabomber's secret code reportedly found inside

May 15, 1996
Web posted at: 11:15 a.m. EDT

GREAT FALLS, Montana (CNN) -- The cabin of Unabom suspect Ted Kaczynski arrived at Malmstrom Air Force Base Wednesday after a piggyback ride aboard a flatbed truck. (549K QuickTime movie)

Fearing vandalism, Kaczynski's lawyer had asked that the cabin be moved from its site near Lincoln, northwest of Helena, and the FBI reportedly wanted it secured as evidence. The structure will remain at the base indefinitely.

Kaczynski was arrested at the cabin April 3 and is jailed in Helena on a change of possession of bomb components. He has not been charged with any of the Unabom crimes. The Unabomber killed three people and injured 23 others with bombs between 1978 and 1995.

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that investigators found a nine-digit number -- a secret identifying code used by the Unabomber -- inside the cabin.

The number appeared on correspondence in which the Unabomber predicted and claimed responsibility for bombings, and also appeared on a letter found in the cabin, the Post said.

"He sent the number so we would always know that correspondence was from him," the paper quoted an unidentified senior federal law enforcement official as saying.

Officials hope the discovery of the number in Kaczynski's cabin, plus the earlier discovery of a possible original manuscript of the Unabomber's manifesto, also in the cabin, will clinch their case that Kaczynski is the Unabomber.

Neither the FBI nor the Justice Department would comment on the Post report. "As you are well aware, we cannot comment on or off the record on anything that was found in the cabin," said George Grotz, spokesman for the FBI's Unabom task force.

A slow move

Federal officials covered Kaczynski's 10-foot by 12-foot shack with a green tarp and cautiously wheeled it out of Lincoln, Montana, during the night.

It took the truck, escorted by three vehicles, several hours at a slow pace to make the 75-mile trip. It already had been moved a short distance and placed on skids earlier this month. Its location at the base was not disclosed.

"Malmstrom Air Force base is simply serving as a storage facility for the FBI," a base official said. "We are prepared to store it here for as long as we're needed to."

Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Charles C. Lovell signed an order allowing the FBI to relocate the cabin. Lawyers on both sides were concerned that it might be damaged by souvenir hunters and the news media.

The cabin was then moved about one-half mile from Kaczynski's property where guards kept a close eye on it until it could be moved to a more secure location.

Related story:

• Unabom suspect's cabin may go for a ride - May 3, 1996

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