The trial of suspected Unabomber Theodore Kaczynksi is set to open in California with prosecutors determined to convince the jury that he is one of the wiliest terrorists ever to wreak mayhem in America.

After weeks of jury selection, the 55-year-old Harvard-educated former maths professor from Montana is to stand trial for allegedly mailing bombs that killed two California men.

An FBI sketch of the Unabomber based on a 1987 sighting

He also faces separate murder charges in New Jersey for the murder of an advertising executive there.

The case takes its name from the acronym used by federal investigators to identify their suspect, whose early targets were university professors and airline executives.

In all, the Unabomber suspect is blamed for 16 attacks that also injured 23 people between 1979 and 1995.

BBC correspondent Tom Carver looks at the compelling evidence (2' 47")

Some legal experts are saying that, unusually for such a high profile case, the trial looks likely to be more of a whyhedunnit rather than a whodunnit. They believe Kaczynski's guilt appears almost a foregone conclusion.

Kaczynski's cabin has been moved to California to be presented as defence evidence of his unbalanced mind

Faced with overwhelming evidence, including a careful record of bombings allegedly seized from Kaczynski's plywood cabin in Montana, the 55-year-old looks almost certain to be found guilty, the experts say.

The real debate is expected in the second "penalty" phase of the trial, when the 12-member jury will be asked whether he deserves to die for the crimes.

Brother's fears led to arrest

The star witness for the defence is Kaczynski's own brother, David, who tipped off investigators that the Unabomber was, in all probability, his reclusive, older brother.

He is expected to testify that prosecution lawyers misled him into believing that they would not seek the death penalty for Theodore. He will face execution if he is convicted of the last bombing, a 1995 attack that killed California Forestry Association lobbyist, Gilbert Murray.

David Kaczynski is expected to play a pivotal role in another central issue of the trial - his brother's sanity - by testifying that Theodore is deeply emotionally disturbed and hopelessly out of touch with reality.

Defendant rejects mental illness defence

The defendant himself, however, has been resisting a defence based on his mental state. During jury selection, he reacted angrily to a discussion of mental health experts, throwing his pen down on the table.

In 1995 US newspapers published the Unabomber's anti-technology manifesto after he threatened more attacks if they did not

Kaczynski is also believed to have threatened to fire his lawyers over the use of his mental health as a defence.

Last week, the two lawyers withdrew their intention to call expert witnesses to testify that the suspected bomber suffers from paranoid schizophrenia.

But they arranged to ship in the spartan Montana cabin where Kaczynski lived without power or running water so jurors can tour it and potentially gain insight into his psychological makeup.

They have also tried to arrange a guilty plea bargain to save their client's life. However, the US Attorney General Janet Reno refused to deal, showing the government's determination to seek the death penalty.

The prosecution intends to portray Kaczynski as a cold-blooded, calculating killer who sought to spark a revolution that would overthrow western technological society.

Prosecutors will show the jury voluminous writings and encoded diaries found in Kaczynski's cabin which they say contain details of the Unabomber's crimes.
 

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