The country has been left on high alert after numerous bombs and suspicious objects were sent to political and high profile figures as well as media outlets across the country.
On Wednesday afternoon,explosive deviceswere targeted at former presidentsBarack ObamaandBill Clinton, former Secretary of StateHillary Clintonand former Attorney General Eric Holder. The device addressed to former CIA chief John Brennan was delivered to CNN’s New York headquarters and prompted an evacuation.
In addition, PEOPLE confirms theLos Angeles Timesbuilding in Southern California received a suspicious box of envelopes on Wednesday. The El Segundo Police Department said there was no threat of a bomb and the building was not evacuated.
Days earlier, an explosive device was found in the mailbox of liberal philanthropist George Soros.
Motives of the would-be bombers remain unclear and there has been no claim of responsibility. No injuries have been reported as a result of any of the attempted bombings.
Here are all the things to know about the bomb threats across the country:
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Hillary Clinton andBarack Obama’s Offices
“The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such. The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them. The Secret Service has initiated a full scope criminal investigation that will leverage all available federal, state, and local resources to determine the source of the packages and identify those responsible,” the statement said.
Clinton, 70,addressed the bomb threatsmade against her. “It is a troubling time, isn’t it? And it’s a time of deep divisions, and we have to do everything we can do to bring our country together,” she said, according toThe Hill.
Jemal Countess/WireImage
George Soros
An official told theNew York Timesthat the devices sent to Clinton and Obama were similar to one found on Monday at the New York suburb home of Soros, who was not home at the time. A caretaker called police about the suspicious package.
Soros’ home is north of Manhattan and is located near the residences of Martha Stewart, Glenn Close and Ralph Lauren.
CNN
On Wednesday morning, the New York Police Department responded to a suspicious device discovered in Time Warner Center, where CNN is based,the outlet reported, citing a law enforcement source.
The device, which was reportedly made from a pipe and wires, was discovered in the mailroom of Time Warner Center, according to CNN, which also reported that law enforcement authorities are treating the device as a real explosive.
The Time Warner Center offices reopened around 3:30 p.m. ET and employees were returning to the building, NY1’sVan Tieureported.
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Eric Holder
Another suspicious package arrived at the Sunrise, Florida, offices of Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Democratic rep for Florida’s 23 congressional district.According to a local NBC affiliate, a Broward Sheriff’s Office bomb squad unit and firefighters responded to the threat and FBI agents also investigated the scene.
The package in question was actually intended for Holder, but the address was incorrect so it was sent to Wasserman Schultz. Her Florida office address was the return address on all the packages,NBC News reported.
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Andrew Cuomo
New York Gov. Cuomo‘s Manhattan offices were also targeted.
“This is the world we live in. Terrorism, the attempt to spread fear is the world that we live in,” he stated during apress conference. “In some ways, this is nothing new. We have lived with this for a long time. … Terrorism only works if you let it work. What they are trying to do is scare us and destabilize us. We will not allow that to happen… We will not allow these terrorist thugs to change the way we live our lives.”
Cuomo added, “There’s a number of devices and there’s a pattern, apparently, to the number of devices. We wouldn’t be at all surprised if more devices show up.”
The package turned out not to be related to the series of bombs sent to Obama, Clinton and CNN. Cuomo spokesman Richard Azzopardi said it was a computer thumb drive on the right wing radical group the Proud Boys.
“A preliminary investigation on the package at @NYGovCuomo’s office shows it is computer files on the hate group, The Proud Boys, who recently appeared in New York,” Azzoparditweeted.
Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty
Maxine Waters
“I am appreciative of the law enforcement entities who intercepted the package and are investigating this matter. I unequivocally condemn any and all acts of violence and terror,” Waters added.
Ginger Colbrun, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Explosives,toldCNN Waters was not only addressed one package, but two. The second package was found at a postal facility in south central Los Angeles.
Colbrun explained to CNN the package matched the description of those sent to previously other high-profile political figures including former PresidentBarack Obamaand Hillary Clinton. However, it was not clear as to whether or not it was capable of exploding.
The initial package addressed to Waters also had similarities to the ones addressed to political figures.
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Trump’s Reaction
After asserting that “the safety of the American people is my highest and absolute priority,” and that “the full weight of our government is being deployed” to investigate the “despicable acts,” the president called for togetherness.
“I just want to tell you that in these times we have to unify,” he said during an opioids event at the White House on Wednesday. “We have to come together and send one very clear, strong, unmistakable message that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America.”
Trump continued, “This egregious conduct is abhorrent to everything we hold dear and sacred as Americans… We are extremely angry [and] upset… We will get to the bottom of it.”
At the same event, First LadyMelania Trumptold the crowd: “We cannot tolerate these cowardly attacks, and I strongly condemn all who choose violence. I’m grateful to the Secret Service as well as the local and federal law enforcement for all they do on a daily basis to keep us safe and encourage people across the country to choose kindness over hatred.”
Earlier that day, Vice President Mike Pence tweeted about the bomb threats, calling them “cowardly” and despicable.” The president retweeted Pence’s remarks and simply responded, “I agree wholeheartedly!”
Trump also addressed the bomb threat during a rally in Mosinee, Wisconsin, TIMEreported. “The media also has a responsibility to set a civil tone and to stop the endless hostility and constant negative and oftentimes false attacks and stories.”
source: people.com
