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Logan David Patterson and Dominick Frank Cardoza face charges of
conspiracy to damage by means of fire or an explosive, according
to the charging document. Patterson, an 18-year-old from
Plymouth, and Cardoza, a 20-year-old from Bourne, were arrested
Tuesday morning and were due to be arraigned in federal court
later in the day.
The explosion occurred early Saturday on the fourth floor of
Harvard Medical School's Goldenson Building, which houses labs
and offices associated with the school’s neurobiology
department. No one was injured.
“Anxiety levels naturally rise when the public learns that an
explosion was intentionally caused. I would say those levels may
rise even higher in the Boston area,” U.S. Attorney Leah B.
Foley said at a news conference, noting that the investigation
is ongoing but that there's no further threat to the university.
According to the charging document, witnesses said the men were
visiting Wentworth College for Halloween activities, including
parties at area schools. On the day of the blast, surveillance
footage captured the two walking toward Harvard's medical
school. Witnesses said the pair chose the building because it
looked abandoned and got into it via the roof, the charging
document states.
Witnesses said the pair lit a roman candle outside of the
building and placed a cherry bomb inside of a locker in the
building that then exploded, according to the charging document.
“Let me be clear: Setting off an explosive device inside a
locker at an institution geared toward higher education is not
some harmless college prank. It’s selfish, it’s short-sighted,
and it’s a federal crime,” said Ted Docks, the FBI's special
agent in charge.
Neither Foley nor Docks would speculate as to the motive.
Medical school officials said the explosion caused no structural
damage and that all labs and equipment remained intact. The
Boston Fire Department determined that the explosion was
intentional. Police said officers did not find additional
devices during a sweep of the building.
An officer who responded to a fire alarm that morning
encountered two people running from the building, university
police said.
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