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One of the packets-bombs that was sent to a critic of President Trump is presented. Experts say that an excessive postage is the key sign of a suspicious package.
FBI via Getty Images
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FBI via Getty Images
As the hunt intensifies to find out who sent at least 10 potentially explosive devices to Democrats and critics of President Trump across the country, a second important question remains: How exactly were the dangerous packages sent?
The FBI and the US Postal Service's investigative service, the US Postal Inspection Service, both refused Thursday to confirm to NPR how the packages had reached the destinations where they had been intercepted.
But a look at where they were intercepted indicates that at least seven of the ten have been processed by the postal service. For example, two of the packages, sent to Joe Biden, were found at Delaware postal facilities. The parcels sent to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were intercepted in secret service mail filtering centers.
Delivery methods are still unclear for parcels addressed to Robert De Niro and CNN, both of which were received in Manhattan, as well as parcels addressed and received at the home of George Soros, Westchester County, N.Y.
"I will not talk about the origin of the packages," said William Sweeney, deputy director of the FBI, head of the New York Field Office. "Some were delivered by mail."
Why would homemade bombs be able to travel any distance by mail?
This answer also remains uncertain.
The USPS has set up filtering processes. In a statement, the service said it was using a combination of "specialized technology, filtering protocols, and employee training."
Separately, however, the US Postal Inspection Service website states that "the overwhelming volume of mail does not allow the postal service to control each shipment".
In terms of locating the seven packages in question, mail weighing more than 13 ounces is not supposed to be delivered in the form of stamps and anonymous deposit; A person who hopes to send such a package is supposed to go to a post office and interact with a USPS employee. It is not clear if the bomb packs weighed more than 13 ounces.
Although most parcels were taken in transit, at least one, to representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., Was successfully delivered Wednesday. The package was originally intended for former Attorney General Eric Holder, but the Schultz office was listed as a return address.
He was delivered there and his office was evacuated. Schultz said that she was "deeply disturbed by the way my name was used".
Anthony May, a former bomb technician for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said that the outside of the parcels was showing obvious signs that postal employees should monitor including too much postage and misspelled names.
"If the number of stamps is excessive, the post office is not supposed to deliver it," said May.
Danger in context
Although bombs are usually not sent to such prestigious targets, the USPIS investigates an average of 16 post bombs each year.
"In contrast, the postal service treats each year more than 170 billion pieces of mail," USPIS says on a portion of its website devoted to information about postal bombs. "This means that in recent years, it is likely that a mail contains a bomb average well below one in 10 billion!"
During the 2017 fiscal year, the agency opened 19 investigations relating to "suspicious substances and objects", including bombs, explosives and chemical weapons. The agency made 11 arrests and collected 20 convictions.
At this point, there is no indication that the postal service is considering changing its short or long-term policy with respect to suspicious parcels.
A spokesman for the American Postal Workers Union told NPR that, even though this week's media attention was largely focused on the personalities to whom the parcels were addressed, it is often forgotten that workers are also at risk. .
Two postal workers died in 2001 when anthrax was mailed out, a crime that could have been committed by Army biologist Bruce Ivins.
"The reality is that there are many people along the way," said APWU spokesman. "They are certainly all in danger here too."
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