Harvard Student May Get 5 Years for Bomb Threat; Eldo Kim, 20, Said He Did It to Avoid a Final Exam

Harvard College sophomore Eldo Kim, 20 -- who could be sentenced to five years in prison for notifying the university of a bomb threat against four Harvard buildings on December 16 because he had not prepared to take a final exam -- is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court for a preliminary hearing today (December 18, 2013), The (Harvard) Crimson website reports.

The public defender's office is currently representing Kim. U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith Dein will oversee the hearing. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Capin is handling the case for the government, according to The Crimson.

In an affidavit filed with the Boston U.S. District Attorney's office, Kim told authorities he was "motivated by a desire to avoid a final exam scheduled to be held on Monday." Kim was present for that exam which was held in Emerson Hall at 9 a.m. on December 16, when the fire alarm went off, the affidavit says. "According to Kim, upon hearing the alarm, he knew his plan had worked," the affidavit reads. Kim's final exam was canceled.

At approximately 8:30 that morning, Kim sent emails to two Harvard officials, an affiliate of Harvard University Police Department, and the President of The Crimson (the student daily newspaper), saying that bombs had been placed in two of four buildings: the Science Center, Sever Hall, Emerson Hall, and Thayer Hall. In those emails, Kim wrote, "be quick for they will go off soon," according to the affidavit.