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The van belonging to the Florida man suspected of being involved in a series of mail bombs targeting prominent Democrats contained material used to build the explosive devices, officials said. ;law application.
Investigators searching a white van belonging to Cesar Altieri Sayoc, a former exotic 56-year-old dancer, accused of sending more than a dozen bombs by mail, discovered welding equipment , usually used to assemble metal parts, law enforcement officials said. Other documents, such as stamps, a printer and paper, were also found in the van, officials said.
Mr Sayoc, a staunch supporter of President Trump, was arrested on Friday in a flight of mail bombs aimed at Democrats in the country, including former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Joe Biden 39, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and billionaire liberal philanthropist George Soros.
Inside each manila envelope that Mr. Sayoc allegedly posted was a bomb tube made with a timer and containing flash powder, a material used in fireworks and pyrotechnics, the police said. The packages included six US flag stamps and printed labels with a similar block font and spelling mistakes.
None of the craft blew up and no one was injured.
After a week of human hunt involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and other federal agencies, investigators were able to find a fingerprint taken with a device sent to the representative Maxine Waters (D., California). This index eventually led them to Mr. Sayoc's van, parked in front of an AutoZone store in Plantation, Florida.
Photo:
WPLG / Reuters
Officials said Sayoc was living in the van, stuck with images of Trump and vice-president Mike Pence, as well as leading personalities. The investigators believe that Mr. Sayoc worked alone.
The authorities also executed a search warrant on a caravan linked to Mr. Sayoc near the place where he was arrested. In the trailer, they found accordion files containing "bomb-making equipment," said a federal official.
Mr Sayoc has a history of arrests, including in 2002 in Miami for threatening to bomb a local public service while citing the terrorist attacks of 11 September.
Investigators said they thought he had sent the last batch of parcels Thursday, and that law enforcement forces across the country were still looking for a bigger number of them, said the manager.
Mr. Sayoc has been charged with five counts of offenses, including transporting explosives from one state to another, smuggling explosives, and threats against former presidents.
He is scheduled to appear in federal court in Miami on Monday and is expected to be transferred to New York, where he is charged. A spokesman for the US District Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York, who is pursuing the case, announced that Sayoc would be appointed lawyer on Monday.
Write to Zolan Kanno-Youngs to [email protected] and Dan Frosch to [email protected]
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