The FBI arrested a former Northeastern University employee accused of lying to investigators and allegedly staging a hoax explosion at the Boston-based institution last month. Jason Duhaime of San Antonio, Tx. was charged with one count of intentionally conveying false and misleading information related to an explosive device and another count of making materially false statements to a federal law enforcement agent, said U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins in Boston. A motive has not been revealed. "This alleged conduct is disturbing, to say the least," Rollins said, reports USA Today. Duhaime, 45, was arrested in western Texas. He was the only person reportedly injured during the Sept. 13 incident that led to Northeastern’s campus being evacuated that evening. The reports of an explosion on campus triggered a large response from Boston Police, the Northeastern University Police Department and the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, Rollins said.
Officials found inconsistencies in Duhaime's statement. When he called 911 on Sept. 13, he reported being hurt by sharp objects that came from a plastic case that he and another student had brought into the lab. Duhaime reported finding an anonymous lab-directed “violent note.” FBI investigators found probable cause to believe Duhaime had provided false information: the case contained nothing sharp and he wasn't injured. Law enforcement found the case Duhaime described to be empty and undamaged. Investigators found no evidence that the case or letter Duhaime said was inside were exposed to “a forceful or explosive discharge of any type or magnitude,” A storage closet showed no signs of explosion or suspicious debris. The FBI believed Duhaime wrote the letter himself.