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Federal authorities estimate that an explosive device discovered Monday in a mailbox at George Soros, the billionaire philanthropist who has been a center of interest for conspiracy theorists and right-wing vitriol, has been left behind by Someone without being delivered by the postal service Several law enforcement officials said Tuesday.
Mr. Soros' residence is in a suburb of New York. The machine was constructed from a length of pipe about 15 cm long, filled with explosive powder, and it was "proactively triggered" by explosives team technicians, according to the l one of the officials, who were all informed about the investigation.
The motive of the future bomber (s) remains uncertain, said one of the officials, adding that there had not yet been any claim of responsibility.
Mr. Soros, who has made a fortune in finance and is now a full-time philanthropist and political activist, is often angered by right-wing groups. In recent days, some have falsely speculated that he had financed a caravan of migrants moving to northern Mexico.
Mr. Soros was not at home when the device was discovered by a guard, said another manager. He was equipped with a detonator and could have injured or even killed someone if he had exploded near him.
A senior law enforcement official described the homemade bomb as "smaller than what we usually see".
The survey is conducted by the New York offices of the F.B.I. and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, according to several officials, who all spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing.
Officers from the Bedford City Police Department in New York City first responded to the Soros house in the hamlet of Katonah at around 3:45 pm Monday in response to a call from the warden on a suspicious package, according to a statement from the police department. The anti-bomb squad of the Westchester County Police Department was named, as were federal and state investigators.
"The guard went to pick up the mail and did not return to the residence," said a senior law enforcement official. The device was wrapped in an envelope about 8 inches by 10 inches and "looked suspicious." The guardian "dropped him in the woods on the way back to the residence".
Another official said the investigators photographed the package before blowing it up. The images have been reviewed by US postal inspectors, said the official, who concluded that the inscriptions on the envelope were likely intended to give the impression that the package had been sent by the post office, even if they did not believe it.
The inspectors, added the official, also questioned the postman on this route, who did not remember having delivered such a package.
Two F.B.I. Teams from the Joint Terrorism Task Force that deal with national terrorism cases have participated in the investigation, said one of the officials, identifying them as a unit based in the office's office in Rye, in the ## 147 ## 39, New York State, and another in Manhattan, consisting of several agents trained in the investigation of explosives.
Agents were looking at surveillance camera recordings around Soros' home to determine if they had captured images of the person leaving the device in the mailbox, or approaching or leaving, said one of the officials.
Mr. Soros, born in Hungary, made his fortune managing a hedge fund. He often donates to Democratic candidates and progressive causes, and gave at least $ 18 billion to Open Society Foundations to promote democracy and human rights around the world.
He became an important political donor in the United States during the presidency of George W. Bush. He spent millions of dollars supporting John Kerry's unsuccessful bid to deny Bush a second term, was one of the first proponents of Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, and donated more than $ 25 million. to Hillary Clinton and other Democratic candidates in the 2016 ballot
His activism has made him a villain for conservative groups and the target of anti-Semitic defamation. Roseanne Barr has treated Nazi as part of an infamous tweetstorm.
Although Mr. Soros' name became a trigger for a sub-group of Republicans and Conservatives, he said his main goal as a political activist was to see a return to bipartisanship.
He said that it was the extremism of the Republican Party that had made him become a major Democratic donor, but also said that he was opposed to the far left.
"I do not particularly want to be a democrat," he said.
Bedford is about 50 miles north of Manhattan and has hosted many well-to-do transplants, including Martha Stewart, Glenn Close and Ralph Lauren. Katonah, where Mr. Soros has his home, is known for his cultural offerings, including the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts and the Katonah Museum of Art.
The city is known for its insularity and lack of gossip, allowing well-known locals to fly under the radar. "They rely on Bedford to protect their privacy," said John Stockbridge, Bedford historian, in a telephone interview.
Stockbridge said the city has largely avoided tragedies and violent fears. "I've been here for 35 years and I do not remember any incidents like the one you're talking about," he said.
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