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"Unabomber" eager to tell his story from prison -- with conditions

"Unabomber" lashes out against brother in new letter 03:02

A man convicted of terrorizing the country with bombs is reaching out to tell his story.

Ted Kaczynski, known as the "Unabomber," apparently sent a hand-written letter to New Yorker writer Lawrence Wright, reports CBS News correspondent Anna Werner. It has likely been sent to several other journalists. In it, Kaczynski attacks his brother who helped authorities end the bombing spree, once again standing by his belief that he is not crazy.

In the letter, Kaczynski wrote: "...I am ready to speak to someone from the media regarding my brother's recent comments and to discuss how they are being used to torment me."

Kaczynski list his conditions for granting an interview, including "tell me who you are," "why I should trust you," and "[affirm] that you understand that I am NOT mentally ill."

Almanac: The Unabomber 02:18

For nearly two decades Kaczynski sent bombs through the mail, killing three people and injuring two dozen more. He was captured in April 1996 and was sentenced to four life terms. In the letter, Kaczynski refers to his brother, David, who helped investigators identify him as the "Unabomber." David has penned a new book detailing his brother's struggle with mental illness. In January 2005, he spoke to CBS News "Sunday Morning" about why he tipped off law enforcement.

"Clearly he had to be stopped, and I don't think there was any other way to stop him," David said. "I sometimes think maybe earlier in his life -- he was my older brother. Maybe if I had recognized how seriously disturbed he was, I could have been more helpful to him."

Kaczynski has reached out from behind bars through handwritten letters before. Psychologist Dr. Stephen Diamond has studied Kaczynski's case.

"It may very well be some kind of a repetition of his trying to be heard and gain some recognition," Diamond said.

We spoke with Wright, the New Yorker writer who received the letter from Kaczynski. Wright tweeted an image of the letter on Sunday with the caption "The Unabomber reached out. Thanks, Ted, you're not nuts at all."

He described that as purely sarcastic and said he has zero interest in an interview. We also reached out to David Kaczynski, who has yet to respond.

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