David Kaczynski, brother of infamous “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski, expressed distress over the possibility that his brother’s violent legacy may have inspired Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione, an Ivy League tech graduate, reviewed Ted Kaczynski’s “Industrial Society and Its Future” on Goodreads earlier this year, praising its insights and labeling its predictions about modern society “prescient.”

David Kaczynski called it a “terrible mistake” to view his brother as a role model. “His ideas may not be lunacy, but his violent actions were,” he said. He hopes people understand Ted’s behavior stemmed from anger and mental disturbance, not a justifiable cause.

David Kaczynski stands alongside his mother, Wanda, and their attorney, Anthony Bisceglie, during a press appearance in Sacramento, California, on January 5, 1998.

Ted Kaczynski’s infamous bombing spree from 1978 to 1995 killed three people and injured 23, driven by his radical opposition to technological advancement. Arrested in 1996 after a historic FBI manhunt, he later died by suicide in federal custody in 2023.

Mangione, arrested Monday at an Altoona, Pennsylvania McDonald’s following a manhunt, allegedly held “ill will toward corporate America.” Investigators found a handwritten manifesto linking his grievances to a fight against corporate “power games” and possible admiration for Kaczynski’s attacks. Mangione, 26, faces second-degree murder and other charges for Thompson’s death in what police describe as a “targeted attack.”

Ted Kaczynski is escorted by federal marshals in Helena, Montana, on April 4, 1996.

David Kaczynski, who played a critical role in his brother’s 1996 capture, stated that while people may connect with Ted’s writings, violence must not be seen as a legitimate path for societal change. “Human motivation is complex,” he said. “It pains me to think my brother’s actions may have influenced someone to kill an innocent person.”