Suspect in Custody in String of Letter Bombs Sent to Former Presidents and Others
Federal authorities arrested 56-year-old Cesar Altieri Sayoc in Broward County, Florida Friday morning.
An arrest has been made in the investigation of potentially explosive devices sent to two former presidents, members of Congress, Senators, and other famous people.
Federal authorities arrested 56-year-old Cesar Altieri Sayoc in Broward County, Florida Friday morning.
A total of 10 homemade bombs have been sent to celebrities and politicians who have been outspoken critics of President Donald Trump in the last five days.
Actor Robert De Niro and former vice president Joe Biden were the latest targets in the string of pipe bombs, which were reportedly sent through the mail, according to the Washington Post.
Other homemade explosive devices have been addressed to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, CNN, George Soros, Cory Booker, James Clapper, and others.
A law enforcement source said that DNA evidence on one of the devices played a part in leading investigators to the suspect. Authorities also said that a latent fingerprint on a package addressed to Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters of California played a part in the investigation.
A picture believed to be of a van seized by authorities in the package bomb investigation shows a sticker with crosshairs around former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's face, according to CBS News.
Court records show Sayoc, an amateur body builder with social media accounts that denigrate Democrats and praise Trump, has a history of arrests for theft, illegal steroids possession and a 2002 charge of making a bomb threat.
There has been some speculation that the devices were hoaxes or so poorly constructed that they would not explode. Law enforcement officials from multiple federal agencies repeatedly said Friday afternoon at a press conference that the devices were real. Each device was made up of a PVC pipe, a small clock, battery, wiring and “energetic material,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said. And he stressed that they could have exploded under the right conditions.
Sayoc was charged with five federal counts: interstate transport of explosives, mailing of explosives, threats against a former president, making threatening interstate communications and assault of current or former officials. He faces up to 58 years in prison if convicted of these charges.
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