At least twelve suspicious packages addressed to prominent Democratic politicians or media figures that officials say carry explosive devices have been intercepted this week.
Billionaire and philanthropist George Soros was the first to receive a package at his home in upstate New York. Late Tuesday night an explosive device was found addressed to former president Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton‘s home in Chappaqua, New York.
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After similar packages were found addressed to former president Barack Obama, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schulz, Rep. Maxine Waters, CNN via MSNBC correspondent John Brennan and former vice president Joe Biden, authorities worry that other prominent political figures could still be targeted.
Friday, packages addressed to Sen. Cory Booker and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper were intercepted. Clapper’s was sent to CNN’s offices in New York, making it the second package addressed to the media company this week.
Continue on to find out what’s going on with the suspicious packages as more situations unfold.
Philanthropist George Soros
An explosive device was found inside a suspicious package in the mailbox of Hungarian billionaire George Soros on Monday. Police in Bedford, New York told The Washington Post that an “employee of the resident” discovered the package, placed it in a wooded area and called the police, who notified the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms as well as the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. The explosive device, which turned out to be a pipe bomb, was proactively detonated by a bomb squad.
Soros, 88, is a hedge fund manager with a personal fortune worth over $8 billion. A Holocaust survivor, he has been a major donor to several philanthropic causes around the world, especially liberal efforts in the United States. He has also previously been the target of conspiracy theories and anti-Semitic attacks.
Former president Bill Clinton and former Sec. of State Hillary Clinton
Around 1 a.m. Wednesday, a technician who screens Bill and Hillary Clintons’ mail at their Chappaqua, New York home found a suspicious package that authorities said was similar to the one sent to Soros on Monday. The package was found at an off-site location and neither the former president nor the former Secretary of State were in danger.
The New York Times reported that an explosive device was inside the suspicious package. At a campaign event in Miami, Hillary Clinton addressed the bombs.
“Many of you and others across our country have asked after me and my family, and I’m very grateful for that. We are fine, thanks to the men and women of the Secret Service,” she said.
“It is a troubling time, isn’t it? And it’s a time of deep divisions, and we have to do everything we can do to bring our country together,” Clinton said.
Former president Barack Obama
Another suspicious package, this time addressed to former president Barack Obama’s office in Washington, D.C., was intercepted by the Secret Service Wednesday. Similar to the package sent to the Clintons, the package addressed to Obama was also found at an off-site location. He was not at risk.
The packages addressed to Soros, the Clintons and Soros had a manila outer packaging and the devices had stamps on them. Final analysis is pending to see if the devices were working explosives, as they appeared to be. On all three packages, the signature is nearly the same and lists the return address as former Democratic National Committee chairman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
CNN
CNN’s New York offices were evacuated Wednesday after a suspicious device containing white powder was delivered to the building’s mailroom. Special Agent in Charge C. Bryan Paarmann said Wednesday that “so far the devices have been what appear to be pipe bombs.”
A Time Warner Center mailroom employee flagged the package to security but did not open it, CNN reports. Security called authorities, who opened the package to discover the bomb.
The package was reportedly delivered to former CIA Director and MSNBC contributor John Brennan.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo
Another suspicious device was sent to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Manhattan office, the governor said Wednesday.
“We wouldn’t be at all surprised if more devices show up,” he said during a press conference on the threats. “A device has been sent to my office in Manhattan, which we were just informed about, and that device is also being handled.”
“We refuse to be intimidated. We refuse to allow them to make us afraid,” Cuomo said.
Rep. Debbie Wassermann Schultz
Police are investigating in Sunrise, Florida after a potential suspicious package was found at the office of Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who previously has served as the head of the Democratic National Committee.
CNN reported that the package was only sent to Schultz because her address was the return address on the package; it was initially addressed to President Obama’s attorney general, Eric Holder — but it had the wrong address and was returned to sender.
The office was evacuated and a bomb squad was sent to the site.
Rep. Maxine Waters
Two suspicious packages were intercepted addressed to Rep. Maxine Waters, a California democrat. One was intercepted at a Congressional mail screening facility in Capitol Heights, Maryland, CNN reports. The Capitol Police bomb squad responded to the situation.
“We have to keep to doing what we’re doing in order to make this country right. That’s what I intend to do, and as the young people say, ‘I ain’t scared,’” Waters, D-Calif., told Blavity in a video interview on Thursday. “We must not be intimidated to the point that we stop advocating and protesting for justice.”
Former vice president Joe Biden
Federal investigators confirmed Thursday morning that a suspicious package addressed to former vice president Joe Biden was intercepted.
The package was intercepted at a Delaware post office and contained a similar explosive device to those sent to other leading Democrat party officials. Authorities considered the package suspicious because of its similarities to the other packages found earlier this week.
Authorities had already been aware of the package Wednesday evening, as it had a wrong address and was being returned to sender.
The FBI said federal agents and New Castle County Police were responding to the New Castle, Delaware mail facility Thursday morning.
Robert De Niro
A package addressed to actor-director Robert De Niro was discovered at the building in New York City that houses his production company and restaurant early Thursday morning.
Police sent the package to a secure facility in the Bronx while “highly trained experts” investigate, according to NYPD commissioner James O’Neill.
X-ray images showed that the package contained an explosive device similar to the others discovered this week. The building was evacuated but has now re-opened.
“The building is open and everybody is safe,” Tribeca Enterprises co-founder Jane Rosenthal told CNN. “This is not what free speech should look like.”
De Niro has been a vocal critic of President Trump, saying “F— Trump” at the 2018 Tonys in June and vowing earlier this year that he’d never play Trump in a film.
Sen. Cory Booker
A device addressed to New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker was intercepted in South Florida Friday, the FBI confirmed. The suspicious package addressed to him was “similar in appearance” to the 10 other packages found earlier this week.
The #FBI has confirmed an 11th package has been recovered in Florida, similar in appearance to the others, addressed to Sen. Cory Booker.
— FBI (@FBI) October 26, 2018
“The #FBI has confirmed an 11th package has been recovered in Florida, similar in appearance to the others, addressed to Sen. Cory Booker,” the FBI tweeted on Friday morning.
Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper
The New York Police Department reported that they were responding to a report of a suspicious package in midtown Manhattan that is also similar in appearance to the other suspected explosives, which NBC News reported was found at a mail facility in Manhattan and addressed to former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.
The package mailed to Clapper was addressed to CNN’s New York offices, according to a picture tweeted by CBS New York. The explosive device is the second to be addressed to the news network this week.
