From October 22 to November 1, 2018, 16 packages found to contain pipe bombs were mailed via the U.S. Postal Service to several Democratic Party politicians and other prominent critics of U.S. President Donald Trump. Targets included former U.S. President Barack Obama, former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Other people who were sent packages included three Democratic members of Congress: Representative Maxine Waters, Senators Cory Booker and Kamala Harris; former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, two former intelligence chiefs: ex-CIA Director John Brennan and ex-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper; two billionaire Democratic donors and activists: George Soros and Tom Steyer; and actor Robert De Niro. One package was addressed only to CNN and sent to its world headquarters.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies coordinated their investigations of the attempted bombings. All sixteen confirmed bombs sent were improvised explosive devices, though none had a trigger mechanism. None of the devices exploded outside a controlled setting.
Cesar Altieri Sayoc, Jr. was arrested in Florida on October 26, held without bail, and charged with five federal crimes the following week. The FBI investigated the case as domestic terrorism. On March 21, 2019, Sayoc pleaded guilty to 65 felony counts, including using weapons of mass destruction in an attempted domestic terrorist attack. He was sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison on August 5, 2019, and will be eligible for release as early as November 10, 2035.
Mailings Monday, October 22 The first suspicious package containing such a device was found in the mailbox at the home of Democratic donor George Soros in Katonah, New York. Soros, who is regularly the subject of conspiracy theories and threats by right-wing extremists, was absent. The employee who found the device carried it to a wooded area, where bomb squad officers safely detonated it.
Tuesday, October 23 A package containing a device, addressed to former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (misspelled as "Hilary"), was intercepted by the Secret Service during a mail screening in Chappaqua, New York.Here's everything we know after studying the mail bomb packages CNN, October 26, 2018 A former U.S. Senator from New York and the First Lady of former President Bill Clinton, she was President Donald Trump's main opponent in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Wednesday, October 24 A device addressed to former President Barack Obama was intercepted by the Secret Service during a mail screening in Washington, D.C.
Additionally, a package containing an explosive and suspicious powder was found in CNN's mail room in the Time Warner Center in New York City, addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan (misspelled as "Brenan"). CNN reported that law enforcement said the package was delivered by courier. Brennan has served as a senior national security and intelligence analyst for NBC News and MSNBC since February 2018, but has also appeared on CNN. The bomb alarm occurred during CNN Newsroom with Poppy Harlow and Jim Sciutto. Along with their colleagues Kate Bolduan and Athena Jones, reporters Harlow and Sciutto left the building, but continued to report via Skype over a cellphone line.
A suspicious package addressed to U.S. Representative Maxine Waters was intercepted by United States Capitol Police. Another suspicious package addressed to Waters resulted in the evacuation of a U.S. Postal Service facility in Los Angeles.
A package addressed to former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, with a bad address, was returned to the purported sender, the office of former Democratic National Committee Chairwoman and current U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Sunrise, Florida.
Thursday, October 25 In the early morning hours, a package was found in Tribeca, New York City, addressed to actor, producer and director Robert De Niro, via his company Tribeca Productions. De Niro had previously expressed criticism of Trump.
Authorities also found a package in New Castle, Delaware, addressed to then former Vice President Joe Biden with his full name, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. It was returned to the post office due to insufficient postage, and examined because of the other packages. A second package intended for Biden, but addressed incorrectly, was found at a facility in Wilmington, Delaware. The Miami-Dade Police Department and federal authorities believed that several of the packages would have passed through a mail processing and distribution center in Opa-locka, Florida; they searched the facility for evidence with a bomb squad and K-9 unit.Bomb squad called to assist in package investigation at Florida mail facility CNN, October 25, 2018
Friday, October 26 Authorities found four packages similar to previous packages. One addressed to former National Intelligence Director James Clapper (which, like the one sent to John Brennan, had CNN's Time Warner Center address) was found in a New York City postal facility, while another, addressed to U.S. Senator Cory Booker, was found in a Florida postal facility.
Authorities also found a bomb addressed to then-U.S. Senator Kamala Harris in Sacramento, California. A device addressed to billionaire Tom Steyer, a Democratic donor who frequently appeared in ads encouraging Congress to impeach President Trump on CNN, was intercepted by a postal worker at a sorting facility in Burlingame, California.
Monday, October 29 CNN President Jeff Zucker issued an alert to employees that a suspicious package sent to the CNN Center was found at a post office in Atlanta, Georgia.CNN Communications Twitter, October 29, 2018 Jim Sciutto posted a picture of the package on Twitter and it was similar to the others.New: Package to CNN intercepted today similar to others sent by Sayoc. Image here: Jim Sciutto on Twitter Unlike the other two sent to CNN, it was not addressed to a specific person.BREAKING: Suspicious package addressed to CNN intercepted at Atlanta post office, official says Atlanta-Journal Constitution, October 29, 2018 President Trump has frequently criticized CNN and its employees in derogatory terms.Trump's Orlando Crowd Erupts Into A “CNN Sucks” Chant The DC Shorts on YouTube June 18, 2019
Thursday, November 1 A second package addressed to Steyer was intercepted at the same postal facility in Burlingame, California.Another Suspicious Package Sent To Trump Target Tom Steyer Huffington Post, November 2, 2018
Summary +Summary of incidentsDateIntended targetTitle/description (most recently/at the time)Location discoveredOctober 22George SorosFounder of the Open Society FoundationsKatonah, New York (Soros residence)October 23Hillary ClintonFormer U.S. Secretary of StateChappaqua, New York (intercepted by Secret Service)October 24Barack ObamaFormer U.S. PresidentWashington, D.C. (intercepted by Secret Service)Eric HolderFormer U.S. Attorney GeneralSunrise, Florida (office of Debbie Wasserman Schultz)Maxine WatersU.S. Representative (D-CA)Washington, D.C. (Capitol Hill post office)Los Angeles (postal facility)John BrennanFormer CIA DirectorNew York City (Time Warner Center)October 25Joe BidenFormer U.S. Vice PresidentNew Castle, Delaware (post office)Wilmington, Delaware (post office)Robert De NiroActorNew York City (office of TriBeCa Productions)October 26James ClapperFormer Director of National IntelligenceNew York City (post office)Cory BookerU.S. Senator (D-NJ)Opa-locka, Florida (postal facility)Kamala HarrisU.S. Senator (D-CA)Sacramento, California (postal facility)October 26 and November 1Tom SteyerBillionaire investorBurlingame, California (postal facility)October 29CNN CenterCNN's world headquartersAtlanta, Georgia (post office)
Devices and envelopes
According to The New York Times, the device sent to Soros's house was constructed from a length of PVC pipe about long, filled with explosive powder. It was proactively detonated by bomb squad technicians. Authorities reported that the devices recovered on October 24 were packed with shards of glass. A law enforcement official told reporters that the devices sent to Clinton and Obama were similar in design to the one that was sent to Soros. According to the Associated Press, a law enforcement official said tests have determined that white powder found inside an envelope delivered to CNN, along with a pipe bomb, was not viable. The bombs contained pyrotechnic powder but lacked a triggering mechanism; the FBI described them as "potentially destructive devices."Investigators search Florida mail facility for clues to bombmaker CNN, October 25, 2018 Law enforcement officials told the Associated Press that the devices contained batteries and timers but were not rigged to explode when they were opened. The officials said they were still trying to determine if the devices were shoddily constructed or simply intended as threats to sow fear.As national bomb probe continues, authorities turn focus to Florida Newsday, October 25, 2018
At a press conference following the arrest of the suspect, FBI Director Christopher Wray described the bombs as improvised explosive devices, stating that they were "not hoax devices".
All of the devices were sent in yellow manila envelopes lined with bubble wrap. They each had a printed address label and six Forever stamps, as well as the return address of U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz's office in Sunrise, Florida. All of the return addresses contained the same spelling errors: Schultz was misspelled "Shultz" and Florida was misspelled "Florids". Each set of labels was typed in all capital letters. The packages were furnished with a meme parody of the ISIL flag with the inscription " Done", a catchphrase of standup comedian Larry the Cable Guy. Photographs of the packages meant for CNN were posted to Twitter by staffers for Jim Sciutto and Jim Acosta.
Investigation The FBI led the investigation, with assistance from the United States Secret Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); the United States Postal Inspection Service; the New York, Los Angeles, Miami-Dade, and Atlanta police departments; and other law enforcement agencies. Images of envelopes taken by the U.S. Postal Service's Mail Isolation Control and Tracking system have been examined as part of the investigation.
Several of the mail bomb packages were sent to the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, for inspection. A fingerprint found on one of the packages and DNA on two other packages pointed to Sayoc as the suspect. He was identified through video surveillance near a South Florida post office, and located by tracking his cell phone. On October 26, Sayoc was arrested in the parking lot of an AutoZone store in Plantation, Florida,How the alleged bomber was caught CNN, October 29, 2018 in connection with the series of explosive devices sent to several individuals.
Perpetrator
Cesar Altieri Sayoc Jr. (born March 17, 1962)Suspected Mail Bomber Grew Up In Brooklyn. Was He Your Neighbor? Bklyner, October 26, 2018 was born in Brooklyn and moved to Florida as a child. His father is a Filipino immigrant and his mother was born in the Bronx and of Italian descent.Cesar Sayoc's Family: Suspect's Father Was an Immigrant, Heavy.com, October 26, 2018Who is Cesar Sayoc? What we know about the suspected mail bomber arrested in Florida The Washington Post, October 26, 2018 Sayoc's father abandoned him and his mother when he was a child."Cesar Sayoc 'Found A Father In Trump', Family Attorney Tells Anderson Cooper" Huffington Post, October 25, 2018