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Reports of terrorist threats in the form of "potentially destructive devices" sent in manila envelopes to Democratic politicians and a leading investor are currently under investigation by the FBI.
US representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz was among the recipients of the suspicious packages. His office address in Sunrise, Florida, was used on the package's label of five packages, the FBI announced.
One of these envelopes was addressed to former US Attorney General Eric Holder, and was returned to Wasserman Schultz's office in Sunrise. A second suspicious package was also found at his Aventura office. The police evacuated both locations following an investigation by the demining teams.
There have been no reports of explosions or injuries from the delivered envelopes that have been covered with bubble wrap and carrying six US Forever Flag stamps for postage, the FBI said. The white labels were printed with a computer and had spelling errors.
Elected leaders challenged the threats.
Before a meeting on opioids in the White House, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday: "Our government is putting all its weight behind this investigation and bringing those responsible for these despicable acts to justice." This scandalous conduct is abhorrent to all that we consider ourselves dear and sacred as Americans … We are extremely angry, upset, dissatisfied with what we have witnessed this morning, and we will get to the bottom of things.
Wasserman Schultz said he had been in contact with the FBI and the police and praised their efforts to "keep us safe".
"We will not be intimidated by this attempt at violence," she said. "This appalling attack on our democracy must be vigorously pursued and I am deeply troubled by the way my name has been used."
By the time the envelope was found Wednesday morning at Wasserman Schultz's office at 777 Sawgrass Corporate Parkway, it was about 35 km south of Miami-Dade County, at Coral Gables Women's Club.
She was to appear with other elected officials at a fundraising luncheon for Donna Shalala, former US Secretary of Health and Human Services and former president of the University of Miami. Shalala is a congressional candidate.
The Wasserman Schultz Aventura office in Miami-Dade County is located in the city's civic center, where a suspicious package has also been found.
The city's operations and police operations were disrupted by this investigation, which led the Miami-Dade Police Service anti-bomb squad to 19200 W. Country Club Drive.
Aventura police later stated in a tweet that the suspect package was not dangerous and was unrelated to other incidents.
In addition to Holder, envelopes were sent to John Brennan, former director of the CIA, at CNN in New York, as well as to the North American homes of the former secretary of state and first lady. Hillary Clinton, former President Bill Clinton and investor George. Soros.
The FBI has also targeted Washington DC, home of former President Barack Obama.
A suspicious package for US representative Maxine Waters of California was intercepted at a Maryland facility, according to CNN. The FBI did not confirm it was part of the investigation of terrorist threats.
The US secret service said it had intercepted packages to Clinton and Obama, who had not received them and were not likely to get them.
"The packages were immediately identified during routine mail check procedures as potentially explosive devices and were properly handled as such," said the Secret Service in a statement. "The two packages were intercepted before being delivered to the scheduled location."
New York Police Commissioner James O'Neill said the envelope sent to CNN contained white powder and "seemed to be alive.
"We have seen this before," O'Neill said. "We saw worse. And we will not be intimidated and we will not be able to bring those perpetrators to justice. "
The FBI announced that the five packages would be analyzed in his laboratory in Virginia.
John Miller, deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism of the New York Police Department, described some of these devices as homemade bombs.
Sunrise police said on Twitter that there were no other incidents or suspicious packages reported anywhere else in Sunrise.
The city is also home to the Sawgrass Mills Mall, one of the state's most visited tourist sites, after the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando.
Most employees work in the Sunrise Business Park, where Wasserman Schultz has one of its offices.
Helena Krotenberg works in the building next door and says she is getting used to the drama nowadays.
"It's like one more day at work," said Krotenberg. "One last thing that bothers everyone. They have to block the street so everyone has to drive longer to get around. And the police must stand in the sun. "
Sunrise Mayor Mike Ryan thanked the federal, state and local police for their quick and coordinated response and for "working so hard to protect our local community.
"I hope that the perpetrators of these reprehensible acts of terrorism across the country, who have endangered our communities and our first responders, will be brought to justice and no one will be hurt or killed," he said. said Ryan.
The final debate between Republican Ron DeSantis and Democrat Andrew Gillum, who wants to become Florida's next governor, will also take place on Wednesday in South Florida.
Their meeting is scheduled for 19 hours. on Broward College's Davie campus and will be televised live on WFOR-Ch. 4 in Miami-Dade and Broward counties and in Palm Beach County on WPBF-Ch. 25
Davie Police Chief Dale Engle said of the law enforcement preparations during the evening's debate: "We are doing just like we do for all other events of this type. We take each of them seriously. We will ensure that this environment is safe for all participants. "
He declined to describe the details of the operation "for security reasons".
Dean Ridings, president of the Florida Press Association, said the debate's organizers were prepared for any potential threat.
"We already have security in place," said Ridings. "Considering it's a high-level debate, we wanted to make sure we were prepared with good security measures. We will continue to be vigilant.
Terrie Rizzo, president of the Florida Democratic Party, urged political representatives to "mitigate the effects" in the two weeks leading up to the November 6 elections.
"This kind of targeted hate and violence has no place in our country and will not be tolerated," said Rizzo. "It's not about politics, it's about national security, and our main concern is the safety of MP Schultz and the first responders called to these places. Unfortunately, we have seen some candidates for a position use a very controversial and toxic rhetoric during this cycle. "
On October 18, President Trump was criticized by opponents for making offensive and offensive remarks.
Also in his Wednesday address to the White House, Trump said, "I just want to tell you that in these moments we must unite. We must unite and send a very clear, strong and indisputable message that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America. "
Mitch Ceasar, former president of the Broward Democratic Party, said it was no coincidence that all documents had been sent to high-level Democrats a few weeks before the mid-term elections.
"This is symptomatic of the toxic environment we live in today," he said. "I have to blame President Trump for continually attacking women, Hispanics, African Americans, members of the gay and lesbian community, and all the other groups he does not agree with. If we want America to be big again, let's bring back civility and decency. "
US Senator Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Said on Twitter: "An attack on an American who happens to be a Democrat, a Republican or an Independent is an attack on America. The terrorist behind this will soon discover that if a free people has a conflictual politics. If you try to kill one of us, you will have to face all of us. "
FBI director Christopher Wray said in a statement that it was possible that other packages had been sent to other places and he asked the public to pay attention. he found one and called 911.
He asked anyone with information, however minimal, to contact the FBI at 1-800-225-5324 (CALL-FBI) or at https://tips.fbi .gov.
Editor-in-chief Skyler Swisher contributed to this report.
Sun Sentinel authors Susannah Bryan and Skyler Swisher contributed to this report.
[email protected], 954-356-4233 or Twitter @ LindaTrischitta
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