Student accused in Harvard bomb hoax

BOSTON - Bomb threats that led to the evacuation of four Harvard University buildings were made by a student trying to get out of taking a final exam, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.

The student, 20-year-old Eldo Kim, sent e-mails saying bombs had been placed around campus to Harvard police, two university officials and the president of the Harvard Crimson newspaper, according to a criminal complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The messages said shrapnel bombs would go off soon in two of four buildings, including one where prosecutors say Kim was supposed to take an exam at 9 a.m. Monday. The buildings, on Harvard's campus in Cambridge, just outside Boston, were shut down for hours before investigators determined there were no explosives.

Kim, who lives in Cambridge, is to make an initial court appearance Wednesday. It was unknown whether he had an attorney.

Investigators from several agencies searched the buildings for hours before determining there were no explosives. One of the buildings was a freshman dormitory; classes are held in the other three.

Harvard said in a statement it was "saddened" by the allegations in the federal complaint but would have no further comment.

Kim's LinkedIn profile says he is an undergraduate scholar at Harvard's Institute for Quantitative Social Sciences.