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The federal and local authorities on Friday discussed suspicious packages sent to US Senator Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) And billionaire political activist Tom Steyer, a virulent critic of President Trump.
An employee at the Harris office told a postal worker that he had discovered the package at a mail processing center in the south of Sacramento and informed the authorities. The post office is located south of the city center, several kilometers from the Harris office in Sacramento.
"Our office was informed that a suspicious package had been sent to the senator, along with those sent to other elected officials," said the assistant.
By midday, helicopters were buzzing in the quiet residential area south of Sacramento and roads were blocked on two streets in each direction around the small post office.
A post office van from a United States Postal Inspector was parked in front of the building, while an ambulance from the Sacramento Fire Department was in the rear, where the investigation seemed centered.
"This neighborhood is usually very quiet. It's surprising, "said Jason Benik, who lives near the post office.
"Things are going like that, it could be anything," he said of the country's heated rhetoric.
Sacramento County sheriff officials said the Harris package resembled those sent earlier in the week to high-profile political targets.
Investigators also examine another package found in Burlingame, California, south of San Francisco, which was sent to Steyer, who previously advocated the removal of President Trump and more recently urged young voters to participate in the mid-term elections. .
On Friday, a Florida man was arrested for taking part in a series of suspicious, potentially explosive devices that have been sent to critics of Trump in recent days.
Steyer warned that the bomb threat was part of a wider assault on American democracy.
"We are witnessing a systematic attack on our democracy and our rule of law that goes far beyond a mere isolated terrorist in Florida," he said. "What about the electoral crackdown, the intimidation of voters, attacks on our free press, gerrymandering or attempted violence – the trust and standards that constitute the real foundation of our civil society and our political system are eroding. It is time for the Republican Party to denounce all attacks on the rights and dignity of every American and begin to work for the establishment of the widest and most comprehensive democracy possible for every American. "
Packages containing homemade makeshift bombs aimed at prominent political targets, including former President Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, sparked a wave of panic on Wednesday. At the end of the day, a similar package addressed to Representative Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) was found at a South L.A. mail facility.
FBI officials said the device resembled the one found in New York, Washington, DC and elsewhere, and consisted of a plastic pipe containing shrapnel and pyrotechnic material.
Waters also received a suspicious package destined for his Washington office, which was intercepted at a Maryland mail center.
Despite the shipments, Waters – one of Trump's most savage critics – said she would not stop gathering or speaking out against the president.
"We must continue to do what we are doing to get our country on the right track. That's what I intend to do, and as the kids said, "I'm not scared," she told the Blavity website.
Los Angeles Times editors Sarah D. Wire in Washington, DC and Patrick McGreevy in Sacramento contributed to this report.
Related: Federal authorities arrest Florida man, known to have made threats in connection with suspicious parcels »
UPDATES:
12:55: This article has been updated with comments from a resident of Sacramento and additional information about packages sent to Rep. Maxine Waters.
12:10: This article has been updated with information about a suspicious package sent to activist Tom Steyer.
This article was published at 9:15.
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