Northeastern Detonation: Pressurized Device Injures University Worker

BOSTON, MA — A device that detonated Tuesday night at a Northeastern University academic hall may have been aimed at a technology program at the school and Facebook, according to reports.

The detonation just before 7:30 p.m. Tuesday left a 45-year-old Northeastern employee with a hand injury, according to Boston police. By late Tuesday night, several law enforcement agencies, including the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, had joined the investigation into the incident.

The device was sent to Holmes Hall along Leon Street, a building that houses classrooms and a Northeastern virtual reality program. Investigators found a note along with the devices railing against virtual reality technology and Facebook, according to ABC News. Facebook recently rebranded as Meta to focus on virtual reality-based social media inside the Metaverse.

ABC News also reported that the detonation was not caused by an explosion, but by a pressurized hard plastic case. A second device was also delivered to Northeastern, but it was rendered safe by the Boston police bomb squad before it could detonate, police said.

"Special agents and officers with FBI Boston's Joint Terrorism Task Force, including our Special Agent Bomb Technicians and our Evidence Response Team, are assisting Boston police in this ongoing investigation," the FBI's Boston field office tweeted late Tuesday night.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was also assisting with the investigation.

After Holmes Hall was evacuated after the detonation, the university canceled classes at six nearby academic buildings. Classes were expected to resume across the campus on Wednesday.