With each bomb intercepted, panic spread from New York to Washington, Florida and Los Angeles, as reported by CNN. The devices were stored in Manila envelopes and mailed to the leading Democrats across the country two weeks before the midterm elections.
The bombs found this week were aimed at at least seven officials, including Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters. Law enforcement officers are trying to track down another suspicious package sent to former Vice President Joe Biden, and the FBI says that additional packages may have been mailed to other locations.
None of the bombs detonated and nobody was injured. The packages had a similar return address. The pipe bombs were sent to a mixture of offices and residential homes, and seemed to point to some of the people that President Donald Trump criticized mostly. The five packages discovered on Wednesday had a similar address: that of Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, but with her name misspelled. There is no information to suggest that she sent the packages.
To whom did the packages arrive?
Barack Obama: The package sent to Obama was intercepted in Washington DC, during routine mail review procedures, the Secret Service said.
Bill and Hillary Clinton: the package was directed to his residence in Chappaqua, New York, and intercepted on Tuesday night by the Secret Service during a routine inspection by mail.
Robert De Niro: A suspicious package removed from a Manhattan building was directed to the actor, according to AP sources
Eric Holder: The package was addressed to the ex-attorney general, but it was sent to Schultz’s office in Florida, whose address was in the package.
Maxine Waters: A package was sent to the office of the Democratic congresswoman in DC and a second package was found addressed to her at a post office in Los Angeles. It matches the description of those sent to the other officials.
John Brennan: The “live explosive device” was mailed to the CNN offices in New York. The former director of the CIA appears frequently on CNN. The New York Police Department said an envelope containing white powder was found as part of the device’s original packaging.
Joe Biden: Authorities are trying to trace a package addressed to the former vice president, two police sources told CNN on Wednesday night. The package, now considered suspicious due to similarities with the others, was misdirected and returned to the sender. It is not clear if the return address was from Wasserman Schultz. US postal inspectors They are working to locate the package.
George Soros: a suspicious package found on Monday appeared to be an explosive device aimed at the billionaire investor and philanthropist. It was secured in Bedford, New York, a source in the law told CNN.
“The safety of the American People is my highest priority,” President Donald Trump tweeted in response to the multiple incidents. “I have just concluded a briefing with the FBI, Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Secret Service.”