October surprise: Mail bombs target Soros, Clintons, Obama, CNN, Wasserman Schultz, Holder (UPDATES)

RT
Wed, 24 Oct 2018 13:14 UTC

© Kena Betancur/AFP

Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, and former Sec. of State Hillary Clinton

Mail bombs intercepted at ex-president Barack Obama's office and home of former president Bill Clinton and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton. A similar device was sent to billionaire George Soros earlier.

The Secret Service said bombs sent to the Clintons in Westchester County, New York and Obama in Washington, DC were intercepted during a routine mail check.

"The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such," the Secret Service said in a statement Wednesday. "The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them."

Earlier, US media reports said a bomb was found in mail delivered to the house of Bill and Hillary Clinton in Chappaqua, upstate New York. The device was reportedly similar to the one sent to billionaire George Soros' home in the same county, which was found on Monday. Nick Merrill, Hillary Clinton's Communications Director, tweeted that "nothing got to any home", which apparently explains the contradicting reports about where the package intended for the Clinton's home was stopped.

Also on Wednesday, the CNN newsroom in New York was evacuated due to a suspicious package, which turned out to contain a pipe bomb. It was not immediately clear whether this incident was linked with those involving Obama and the Clintons.

There were also conflicting reports about an intercepted bomb sent to the White House. The Secret Service later clarified that it had intercepted only two bombs and that there were none to the White House.

The White House condemned the "attempted violent attacks" against public figures, branding such actions "despicable." It said those responsible will be held accountable.

In Soros' case, an employee noticed the package and called police, who alerted federal law enforcement. Investigators discovered a pipe bomb inside the package and detonated it as a precaution.

Chappaqua is approximately 20 minutes from Bedford, the town where Soros' home is located. Both locations are approximately one hour outside of New York City.

Comment: The bomb threats are not isolated incidences. See the following:

10/24/18: More from RT regarding CNN newsroom evacuation:

Time Warner Center in New York, which hosts CNN offices, has been evacuated over a suspicious package report. This comes a few hours after mail bombs were intercepted at Barack Obama's office and the Clintons' home.

The NYPD is investigating the package found at the Time Warner Center, CNN said, citing sources within law enforcement. The network added that it evacuated its newsroom "as a precaution." The Time Warner Center is located at Columbus Circle in Manhattan near Central Park. Police have cordoned off the area around the building.

The device found in the Time Warner Center was allegedly constructed with a pipe and wires, CNN reports, citing police sources and adding that law enforcement is treating it as a "real explosive."

According to CNN, the device was discovered in the mailroom of the Time Warner Center. A bomb squad was deployed to the scene to remove the package, which was placed in a bomb containment unit on a truck.

The package was allegedly sent to 10 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10019, USA, where the Time Warner Center is located, CNN reported, citing police sources. Later, CNN said that the package was addressed to former CIA director John Brennan via the news network.

US Vice President Mike Pence condemned the "attempted attacks" against CNN, Obama and the Clintons, calling them "cowardly" and "despicable" actions. Later, US President Donald Trump said he "wholeheartedly" agreed with Pence's condemnation of the incidents.

10/24/18, RT reports: Wasserman Schultz's office is investigated for suspicious package:

A Broward Sheriff's Office bomb squad was called to the Florida building where the office of Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz is located to investigate a suspicious mail package.

The building, which is located in the Miami metropolitan area, was evacuated. There was no immediate confirmation that an explosive device was found or that the incident was linked to several others in the US on Wednesday. While there was no confirmed connection reported in the four incidents, all devices involved were said to be rudimentary pipe bombs.

10/24/18 RT reports: Sen. Kamala Harris' office evacuation and TV station in Fresno, CA

The building that hosts offices of Democratic Senator Kamala Harris and San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper has been evacuated over suspicious package.

In addition:

A TV station in Fresno, California was also on lockdown after the discovery of another the suspicious object. The bomb squad employed an anti-mine robot to examine what looked like an unattended Apple Mac computer package left at a parking lot.

This one turned out to be a false alarm:

The police later said the inquiry revealed that it was "a false alarm" and that the packages were "abandoned property."

10/24/18 RT reports Breaking news: Eric Holder is also an 'intended recipient' of a suspicious package

Eric Holder, the former US Attorney General under the Obama administration, is the latest name on the list of officials targeted with mail bombs on Wednesday.

The package addressed to the former AG was intercepted at a postal sorting facility, MSNBC reported.

UPDATE: 10/24/18 RT The latest scare includes New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's office and Congresswoman Maxine Waters to the list of intended recipients:

In the latest reported scare, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said that a suspicious device was also sent to his office in Manhattan and was "being handled" by the NYPD, but it was later confirmed that the package was not a bomb and was unrelated to the other incidents.

Capitol Police have also confirmed another suspicious device was intercepted at the Congressional Mail facility in Maryland, saying that it was addressed to Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters.
[AND] A suspicious package has triggered evacuation at a mail facility in south Los Angeles, according to media citing local police. The package was reportedly addressed to Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters. A bomb squad, as well as the Los Angeles Police Department and agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were dispatched to the scene to investigate the package.

The bomb was discovered as Trump has been calling for the bomber to be brought to justice, assuring "the full weight of our government" is behind the investigation. "Acts or threats of political violence have no place of any kind in the United States of America," he announced after meeting with the FBI, Justice Department, and DHS.

Democrats blamed Trump, pointing out that every package recipient - Waters, Soros, Clinton, Obama, Holder, Wasserman-Schultz, and Brennan - was on the president's unofficial "enemies list," regularly coming in for criticism at rallies and on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Republicans brought up the fact that the bombs had all been safely discovered before doing any damage, suggesting the "attacks" might have been a ploy to garner sympathy (and votes) for the Democrats ahead of the election.

UPDATE: 10/24/2018 RT: Pictures of the bomb sent to CNN, Twitter points to ISIS flag on it.

© AFP/CNN

Device sent to CNN studios, NYC.

CNN's Jim Acosta has shared images of a crude pipe bomb mailed to the network's New York studio. Twitter users have zoomed in the image and said they appear to show an ISIS flag. Zoomed in close, some observers noticed a sticker on the device resembling the black flag of the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS or ISIL) terrorist organization. IS has not claimed any responsibility for the attack, nor has the flag's authenticity been confirmed.

The pipe bomb seen in Acosta's photographs is similar to others sent to Former President Barack Obama and Bill and Hillary Clinton earlier. Both of these packages were intercepted by US Secret Service agents before they could reach their intended recipients, and have been described as "rudimentary, but functional." None of the bombs actually exploded, and nobody has yet been harmed.

See also: Warning? Police destroy suspected explosive device found at New York home of Soros

Update: 10/25/2018 RT: 'Git 'er done' meme, not ISIS flag determination.

In a bizarre twist in the mail-bomb plot gripping the US in recent days, it now appears that an internet meme, and not the ISIS flag, as originally speculated, is emblazoned upon the suspicious packages.

The parody of the ISIS flag features suggestive silhouettes of women in place of the Arabic characters on the flag with a middle inscription that reads: "Get 'Er Done," the catchphrase of American comedian Daniel Lawrence Whitney AKA Larry the Cable Guy, an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer and country music artist and author of the book named after his catchphrase 'Git-R-Done!'

The 'Get 'er done' flag was originally created by the right-wing parody news site World News Bureau and has since been distributed far and wide on right-wing websites and online forums. World News Bureau is reportedly run by a man named Scooter Van Neuter, who also runs BigHairyNews.com. His account was permanently suspended from Twitter in 2017.

The identity of the person whose face appears alongside the 'Git 'er done' flag remains unknown at this time, as does the identity of the bomber.

UPDATE: 10/25/18 from RT: NYPD bomb squad removes suspicious package found near Robert De Niro's restaurant

A suspicious package has been found at a New York restaurant owned by Robert De Niro, according to local media. The package was discovered sometime early Thursday. The parcel has markings similar to the pipe bomb packages recently mailed to top Democrats across the country [and] like some of the other parcels, the return address was that of Democratic US Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida. De Niro is an outspoken Democrat and opponent of Donald Trump.

UPDATE: 10/25/2018 from RT: FBI finds 'missing' Biden 'bomb' in Delaware P.O.

FBI agents say they have intercepted a suspicious package intended for former Vice President Joe Biden, after a morning raid on a post office in New Castle, Delaware. Agents had been searching for the package since Wednesday. The package was misaddressed, and images show it marked "postage due."

A heavy police presence converged on the New Castle post office early Thursday morning, including police and federal vehicles, and a bomb squad truck. The post office was evacuated, and incoming mail trucks diverted. Biden's home was also searched for explosives. The agents were reportedly tipped off that the package had been sent to Biden, but was sent back to its return address.

President Trump promised a "major federal investigation" into the incidents on Wednesday, and told the crowd at a campaign-style rally later that night that "any acts or threats of political violence are an attack on our democracy itself," adding "we want all sides to come together in peace and harmony."

UPDATE: 10/25/18 from RT: Trump blames media for bomb blitz, demands journalists to 'clean up' their act

US President Donald Trump has lashed out at the media in the wake of suspicious packages being sent to CNN's New York office and a number of high-profile Democrats, saying that "fake news" was partly to blame. "It has gotten so bad and hateful that it is beyond description. Mainstream Media must clean up its act, FAST!"

Reaction to the incidents has varied online, with some Americans believing that the bombs were sent by a crazed Trump supporter, while others argued that the timing suggests the mailings could be part of a 'false flag' operation to benefit Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections.

UPDATE: 10/24/18 from RT: Suspicious package addressed to Former Attorney General Eric Holder has been intercepted

Eric Holder, the former US Attorney General under the Obama administration, is the latest name on the list of officials targeted with mail bombs on Wednesday.

The parcel intended to Holder had the wrong address and was returned to the Florida office of Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz because the premises were listed as the return address, according to CNN.

A bomb disposal team was earlier called to the building located in the Miami metropolitan area. The FBI later confirmed that the package found at Schultz' office in Sunrise contained an explosive device.

UPDATE: 10/25/18 From RT: Washington, DC conservative radio station WMAL evacuated over suspicious package

WMAL, a conservative talk radio station in the US capital, was evacuated over after receiving a suspicious package.

Larry O'Connor, one of the hosts at the station, tweeted that "there were some similarities" between the package and those received by CNN and several prominent Democrats over the past two days, though "it does not look" like them.

Police ordered a full evacuation after examining the package, he said.

"Could be a bad copy cat or could be something more," O'Connor tweeted. "We will return to the air as soon as we can."

UPDATE: 10/26/2018 from RT: Florida courthouse is evacuated due to suspicious 'device with wires'

Authorities report that the Polk County courthouse in Bartow, FL has been evacuated after officials found a suspicious device with wires coming out of it in three canisters.

About a dozen inmates were transported out of the jail, but no one else was allowed in or out of the building. Bomb dogs are reported to be searching the courthouse and the State Fire Marshall has been called to the scene.

Federal investigators currently suspect the 10 bombs mailed to prominent Democrats and other public figures in the past few days originated in south Florida, where the courthouse is located. Sources cited by various media are now saying all 10 devices were delivered through the US postal system.

The packages are currently being analyzed at FBI labs in Quantico, VA. Law enforcement is beefing up its presence in south Florida in an effort to apprehend the culprit(s), but the investigation continues nationwide. FBI, ATF, and Secret Service agents are attempting to track down where the bomb components were purchased.

UPDATE: 10/26/18 from RT: New evacuation at Time Warner Center, home of CNN HQ, over 'suspicious package'

Police briefly evacuated the Time Warner Center in New York for a second time in two days as a precaution after finding two unattended packages in the mall located in the building.

Police evacuated the first, second, and third floors of the shopping center "out of an abundance of caution" as they investigated the suspicious items. CNN offices do not appear to have been affected.

NYPD gave the all-clear about an hour after the evacuation, after investigating the packages and determining they were not a threat.

UPDATE: 10/26/2018 from RT: NYC: Suspicious package addressed to former US intelligence director James Clapper

© Reuters/Mike Segar

NYPD bomb squad deployed.

A suspicious package allegedly addressed to the former head of National Intelligence, James Clapper, has been intercepted in Manhattan, prompting the closure of several streets in New York City.

The package was found in Midtown Manhattan. Following its discovery, police cordoned off 8th Avenue between West 42nd Street and 56th Street, as well as West 51st Street between 8th and 9th Avenues.

The parcel was allegedly addressed to Clapper, MCNBC reported. According to some other reports citing FBI, another suspicious package found at a mail sorting facility in the New York City was addressed to CNN. It is, however, unclear, whether the reports refer to one and the same parcel that is addressed both to Clapper and the news network.

Clapper wasted little time to declare that the incident was "definitely domestic terrorism." He did not openly lay the blame for the situation on President Donald Trump but could not help but say that Trump does bear some responsibility for it anyway.

"I am not suggesting any direct or close relationship between anything that he [Trump] said or [had] done and the distribution of these explosives, but I do think that he bears some responsibility for the coarseness and the instability of the dialog in this country," he told CNN.

UPDATE: 10/26/2018 from RT: FBI confirms suspicious packaged addressed to Senator Cory Booker, recovered in Florida

The FBI has confirmed an 11th package has been recovered in Florida, similar in appearance to the others, addressed to Sen. Cory Booker. While the package was intercepted in Florida, it is believed to have been addressed to Booker's New Jersey office. The FBI has confirmed that the package is similar in appearance to a series of suspicious packages mailed to top Democratic and left-wing figures over the past two days.

Law enforcement first treated the devices as "rudimentary, yet functional" explosives, but later discovered that many were poorly constructed, and may not have been capable of exploding. Among the flaws discovered by investigators were non-functioning timers, low-grade explosive powder - possibly from garden fireworks - and a lack of power sources to detonate that powder.

A federal official told Reuters that the would-be bomber may have copied instructions from one of several widely-available online manuals, like 'The Anarchist Cookbook', a 1970s-era bombmaking and hacking manual.

The FBI's investigation into the devices is not yet complete, and not all have been declared duds.

UPDATE: 10/26/2018 from RT: Mail bomb suspect has been detained, in FBI custody

Federal agents have arrested and detained a suspect in connection with a string of suspicious packages sent to prominent Democratic and left-wing figures over the last week.

"We can confirm one person is in custody," a Justice Department Spokeswoman tweeted on Friday. A law enforcement official told Reuters that other potential suspects are also being looked at.

NBC News' Tom Winter has reported that the suspect in custody is a male in his 50s, although this has not yet been confirmed. The man was arrested in Plantation, Florida, and according to CNN, has a criminal history. It is not yet known whether the suspect intended for them to detonate, or to incite fear.