A suspicious package sent to Northeastern University exploded on Tuesday injuring one staff member, according to officials. The package contained a message criticizing Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
Just after 7 p.m. on Tuesday, a package that was delivered to Holmes Hall detonated after it was opened by a staff member who sustained “minor injuries” from the explosion, Northeastern University said in a statement.
The staff member was transported to a local hospital. The explosion triggered a multi-agency response, including the Boston Police Department’s Bomb Squad, Boston Emergency Management Services, and other law enforcement agencies.
The university said the building was evacuated and nearby evening classes were canceled.
“The safety and well-being of our community is always our most important priority,” the school’s statement added.
Federal law enforcement sources told CNN that the package included a message criticizing Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, as well as the connection between academia and virtual reality.
The package contained a hard plastic container that exploded when the university staff member unlatched and lifted the lid.
“We’re monitoring the situation at Northeastern and we’re ready to work with the university and our law enforcement partners on any prosecutions that may develop,” Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said, according to The Associated Press.
Hayden also promised to conduct “a comprehensive investigation to determine exactly what occurred here.”
During a press conference, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu assured the public that safety is of the “utmost priority.”
“We want to make sure to emphasize that this is of the utmost priority, the safety and well-being of all our young people here,” Wu said.
Earlier this month, two state attorneys general said in a statement that a lawsuit filed earlier this year forced the Department of Justice (DOJ) to reveal emails exposing that the Biden administration colluded with social media companies, including Facebook, to censor Americans.
