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Authorities placed in custody a Florida man who had sent 12 packages containing suspected explosive devices to prominent Democrats and critical critics of President Trump this week.
Cesar Sayoc, 56, is in custody in the Miami area, officials said. Mr. Sayoc is a former store manager in Florida who has a history of arrests.
The online court records show that Mr. Sayoc was arrested in Miami in 2002 for a bomb threat. According to the records, he received a one year probation for the incident. The records show that he has two other criminal cases in Miami courts.
Mr. Sayoc is registered to vote for the first time in Florida on March 4, 2016, according to a Florida election official. There is no record of a previous record in the state, said the official.
Mr. Sayoc is registered as a Republican and has voted in the presidential primaries that year and in the general election. He also voted in state primaries earlier this year. Each time, he has cast his ballot in an advance voting booth, as shown by the voting records.
Mr. Trump promised to sue the suspect "to the max of the law" on Friday, calling on Americans to "show the world that we are united".
In this snapshot of the video provided by WPLG-TV, FBI agents on Friday cover a van parked in Plantation, Florida, which federal agents and police officers have examined about parcel bombs.
Photo:
Associated press
"We must never let political violence root in America," Trump said in brief comments from the White House. "I can not let that happen. I am determined to do everything in my power as president to put an end to it. "
The president applauded the security forces, saying the suspect's search was like an attempt to find "a needle in a haystack". He added: "They have done an incredible job and want to congratulate them."
"I have asked the authorities to spare no resources or expense to find the responsible persons by bringing them to justice promptly and with fair justice, and we will prosecute them, against anyone else." either, within the limits of the law, "said Mr. Trump. I said.
The Ministry of Justice is considering hold a briefing in the afternoon.
Investigators found two new suspicious packages on Friday, this time addressed to New Jersey Senator Cory Booker and former National Intelligence Director James Clapper, law enforcement officials said. They were similar to the 10 others, said officials.
The package sent to Mr. Booker contained what appeared to be an explosive device, according to a person familiar with the case.
Federal investigators said previous parcels carry the same warning signs: kraft paper envelopes with six US flag stamps and return address from Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Florida, with the misspelled family name.
Packages containing explosive devices were sent to Democratic politicians, including former President Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as well as CNN, in a coordinated manner. Image: Getty
On Friday morning, New York police evacuated a US post office in Midtown Manhattan after receiving a report about a suspicious package to Mr. Clapper at CNN's New York address, officials said. ;law application. The package sent to Mr. Booker, a Democrat, was intercepted in Florida, officials said.
Federal and local investigators said the alleged bombs inside the packages should be considered dangerous, but no one was injured yet. The FBI sent suspected explosive devices and devices to its Quantico, Virginia facility.
A first review of devices recovered by law enforcement shows that most devices contain flash powder, said a federal official. Flash powder is used in fireworks and fireworks.
Investigators looking for the suspect or suspects behind the packages are focusing on Florida, federal officials said. They are also trying to determine if the alleged bombs were operational, officials said.
Speaking at an event in Washington, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the federal forces were dedicating all the resources available to the investigation. Mr. Sessions canceled a trip scheduled for Friday in Louisville, Kentucky, to free the department's resources for the investigation.
"I can tell you this: we will find the person (s) responsible. And we will bring them to justice, "said Sessions.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat, said the state's internal security office was working with federal, regional and local investigators. "Saddened and irritated by the fact that an explosive device was sent" to Sen's office. Booker, he says in a tweet.
In a tweet on Friday, Trump said the bombing attempts were "unfortunate" as they slowed down Republican momentum in the mid-term elections and expressed skepticism about the nature of the threat.
"Republicans are doing so well in advance votes and polls. Now this "bomb" is happening and the dynamics are slowing down considerably: the news is not about politics, " Mr. Trump tweeted. "Very unfortunate, what's going on? Republicans, go out and vote!
Trump has failed to address attempts since the outbreak of Wednesday's campaign when he criticized "violence as a means of political intimidation" but blamed the media for their "endless hostility" .
The first suspicious package was discovered Monday in the Westchester County mailbox in the state of New York, home to billionaire George Soros, who is a leading Liberal donor. Late Tuesday, a letter addressed to Hillary Clinton was intercepted at his home, also in Westchester County, and on Wednesday, several more were found addressed to other renowned Democrats, including former President Barack Obama. and the Maxine Waters representative from California.
Since he left government service, Clapper has often criticized the president on television. After the White House announced its intention to revoke his security clearance, he told CNN, "If we say that the only way to talk is to be in adulation mode of this president, I'm sorry."
Clapper was one of the intelligence officials who, in January 2017, informed Trump, the then-president-elect, of the US intelligence finding that Russia had been ingested in the country. 39, election of 2016 to help Mr. Trump – a conclusion about which Mr. Trump has repeatedly expressed his skepticism over the past two years.
– Joseph De Avila, Vivian Salama, Michael C. Bender, Byron Tau and Rebecca Ballhaus contributed to this article.
Write to Dan Frosch at [email protected] and Zolan Kanno-Youngs at [email protected]
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