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| New York police block off a street after they were called to a suspicious package sent to the Time Warner building where CNN's newsroom is located. Daily Mail |
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Pipe bombs are sent to the Clintons, Obamas and CNN, others
Daily Mail
Tue Oct 23, 2018
Category: U.S. News
Pipe bombs targeting the top liberal elite and Trump's biggest political foes have been discovered across the US with law enforcement suspecting a serial bomber is behind the rash of homemade explosives sent in the mail.
Secret Service agents revealed on Wednesday they had intercepted two explosives en route to former President Obama's Washington D.C. home and Hillary and Bill Clinton's property in Chappaqua, New York.
A short time later, a police bomb squad was sent to CNN's offices in New York City and the newsroom was evacuated because of a pipe bomb found in an envelope addressed to former CIA director John Brennan.
Investigations are also underway following reports of intercepted mailed devices targeting former Attorney General Eric Holder, Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and California congresswoman Maxine Waters.
The three devices targeting Obama, the Clintons and CNN were similar to the small pipe bomb found at liberal billionaire donor George Soros' New York home on Monday and appear to have been sent by the same person, NYPD's chief of counterterrorism said.
All of those targeted are among Trump's biggest political enemies and have been subjected to his ire on Twitter. The White House swiftly condemned the attacks as 'despicable'.
The packages sent to the Clintons and Obama were discovered during routine mail screenings. The Secret Service said the packages were immediately identified as potential explosive devices and were handled as such. They said the packages were intercepted prior to being delivered to Clinton and Obama.
Bill Clinton was at the family's home at the time the package was intercepted, while Hillary was attending campaign events for Democrats in Florida.
Meanwhile, CNN's office in New York City was also evacuated on Wednesday after a suspicious package was found in the mail room of the Time Warner Center where their bureau is located.
It was addressed to former CIA director John Brennan, who doesn't work for the network but is an MSNBC contributor. An evacuation alarm went off as CNN anchors were live on air reporting on the packages sent to Obama and Clinton.
The package was constructed with a metal pipe, wires and black tape, according to police. Also contained in the package was an envelope filled with white powder. The device was removed by the NYPD bomb squad and taken away for investigation.
Police in Florida said they were also investigating reports of a suspicious package at Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz's office. The packages that were intercepted all had Schultz's office listed as a return address - an ironic reference to the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.
The package that showed up at her office had actually been sent to former Attorney General Eric Holder but was mailed to the wrong address, so was returned to her instead, CNN sources say.
A suspicious package addressed to Democratic California congresswoman Maxine Waters was intercepted by Capitol Police on Wednesday afternoon.
Earlier, a law enforcement source told Reuters and CNN that they believed a pipe bomb had also been sent to the White House but was intercepted at an off-site facility in D.C. The Secret Service later denied this, saying there was no suspicious package addressed to the White House.
The White House issued a statement regarding the devices, condemning the 'violent attacks'.
'We condemn the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures,' a statement from press secretary Sarah Sanders said.
'These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.
'The United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards.'
Vice President Mike Pence and Ivanka Trump also issued statements condemning the attacks on Obama, the Clintons and CNN.
'These cowardly actions are despicable and have no place in this country. Grateful for swift response of @SecretService, @FBI & local law enforcement. Those responsible will be brought to justice,' Pence tweeted.
Ivanka tweeted: 'I strongly condemn the attempted acts of violence against President Obama, the Clinton family, @CNN and others. There is no excuse - America is better than this. Gratitude to the @SecretService and law enforcement for all they do to keep this nation safe.'
President Trump retweeted Pence's tweet, saying: 'I agree wholeheartedly!'
Hillary Clinton said at a Florida fundraiser on Wednesday that 'we are fine' as she thanked the Secret Service for intercepting the device 'long before it made its way to our home'.
Clinton was speaking at a Coral Gables fundraiser for Democratic congressional candidate Donna Shalala, a former health and human services secretary.
The former secretary of state said her family was grateful for the Secret Service's 'service and commitment and obviously never more than today'.
The discovery of the packages came after a small bomb was found earlier this week at the home of billionaire liberal donor George Soros in the New York City suburb of Katonah - about 10 miles from where the Clintons live.
The package discovered at Soros' home was a pipe bomb and was in a package placed in a mailbox outside the gates of the compound. A Soros employee opened it just inside the gates and not near the billionaire's quarters.
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