October 2018 United States mail bombing attempts
From October 22 to November 1, 2018, 16 packages found to contain pipe bombs were mailed via the U.S. Postal Service to several Democratic Party politicians and other prominent critics of U.S. President Donald Trump. Targets included former U.S. President Barack Obama, former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
October 2018 United States mail bombing attempts
United States
October 22, 2018 – November 1, 2018
CNN and thirteen Democratic Party members and prominent critics of U.S. President Donald Trump[2][3]
Attempted mail bombings, domestic terrorism
0
0
Cesar Sayoc Jr.[4]
Other people who were sent packages included three Democratic members of Congress: Representative Maxine Waters, Senators Cory Booker and Kamala Harris; former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, two former intelligence chiefs: ex-CIA Director John Brennan and ex-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper; two billionaire Democratic donors and activists: George Soros and Tom Steyer; and actor Robert De Niro.[2][5][6][7] One package was addressed only to CNN and sent to its world headquarters.[8][9][10]
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies coordinated their investigations of the attempted bombings.[2] All sixteen confirmed bombs sent were improvised explosive devices,[11] though none had a trigger mechanism.[12] None of the devices exploded outside a controlled setting.[13]
Cesar Altieri Sayoc, Jr. was arrested in Florida on October 26, held without bail, and charged with five federal crimes the following week.[14][15] The FBI investigated the case as domestic terrorism.[16] On March 21, 2019, Sayoc pleaded guilty to 65 felony counts, including using weapons of mass destruction in an attempted domestic terrorist attack. He was sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison on August 5, 2019, and will be eligible for release as early as November 10, 2035.[17]
Mailings[edit]
Monday, October 22[edit]
The first suspicious package containing such a device was found in the mailbox at the home of Democratic donor George Soros in Katonah, New York.[18] Soros, who is regularly the subject of conspiracy theories and threats by right-wing extremists, was absent. The employee who found the device carried it to a wooded area, where bomb squad officers safely detonated it.[19]
Tuesday, October 23[edit]
A package containing a device, addressed to former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (misspelled as "Hilary"), was intercepted by the Secret Service during a mail screening in Chappaqua, New York.[20][21] A former U.S. Senator from New York and the First Lady of former President Bill Clinton, she was President Donald Trump's main opponent in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Wednesday, October 24[edit]
A device addressed to former President Barack Obama was intercepted by the Secret Service during a mail screening in Washington, D.C.[20]
Additionally, a package containing an explosive and suspicious powder was found in CNN's mail room in the Time Warner Center in New York City, addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan (misspelled as "Brenan").[22] CNN reported that law enforcement said the package was delivered by courier.[23] Brennan has served as a senior national security and intelligence analyst for NBC News and MSNBC since February 2018, but has also appeared on CNN.[24] The bomb alarm occurred during CNN Newsroom with Poppy Harlow and Jim Sciutto.[25] Along with their colleagues Kate Bolduan and Athena Jones, reporters Harlow and Sciutto left the building, but continued to report via Skype over a cellphone line.[26][27][28]
A suspicious package addressed to U.S. Representative Maxine Waters was intercepted by United States Capitol Police.[23][29] Another suspicious package addressed to Waters resulted in the evacuation of a U.S. Postal Service facility in Los Angeles.[30]
A package addressed to former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, with a bad address, was returned to the purported sender, the office of former Democratic National Committee Chairwoman and current U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Sunrise, Florida.[23][31]
Thursday, October 25[edit]
In the early morning hours, a package was found in Tribeca, New York City, addressed to actor, producer and director Robert De Niro, via his company Tribeca Productions. De Niro has publicly expressed criticism of Trump.[32]
Authorities also found a package in New Castle, Delaware, addressed to then former Vice President Joe Biden with his full name, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. It was returned to the post office due to insufficient postage, and examined because of the other packages.[33] A second package intended for Biden, but addressed incorrectly, was found at a facility in Wilmington, Delaware.[33]
The Miami-Dade Police Department and federal authorities believe that several of the packages would have passed through a mail processing and distribution center in Opa-locka, Florida; they searched the facility for evidence with a bomb squad and K-9 unit.[34]
Friday, October 26[edit]
Authorities found four packages similar to previous packages. One addressed to former National Intelligence Director James Clapper (which, like the one sent to John Brennan, had CNN's Time Warner Center address) was found in a New York City postal facility, while another, addressed to U.S. Senator Cory Booker, was found in a Florida postal facility.[35]
Authorities also found a bomb addressed to then-U.S. Senator Kamala Harris in Sacramento, California. A device addressed to billionaire Tom Steyer, a Democratic donor who frequently appeared in ads encouraging Congress to impeach President Trump on CNN, was intercepted by a postal worker at a sorting facility in Burlingame, California.[36]
Monday, October 29[edit]
CNN President Jeff Zucker issued an alert to employees that a suspicious package sent to the CNN Center was found at a post office in Atlanta, Georgia.[9] Jim Sciutto posted a picture of the package on Twitter and it was similar to the others.[10] Unlike the other two sent to CNN, it was not addressed to a specific person.[8] President Trump has frequently criticized CNN and its employees in derogatory terms.[37][38]
Investigation[edit]
The FBI led the investigation, with assistance from the United States Secret Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); the United States Postal Inspection Service, the New York City, Los Angeles, Miami-Dade, and Atlanta police departments; and other law enforcement agencies.[31][34][51] Images of envelopes taken by the U.S. Postal Service's Mail Isolation Control and Tracking system have been examined as part of the investigation.[2]
Several of the mail bomb packages were sent to the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, for inspection.[2] A fingerprint found on one of the packages and DNA on two other packages pointed to Sayoc as the suspect.[52] He was identified through video surveillance near a South Florida post office, and located by tracking his cell phone.[53] On October 26, Sayoc was arrested in the parking lot of an AutoZone store in Plantation, Florida,[54][55] in connection with the series of explosive devices sent to several individuals.[56][57][58]
Cesar Sayoc Jr.
American
Incarcerated at Federal Correctional Institution, Butner Medium II, earliest possible release date November 10, 2035
- Interstate transportation of an explosive
- Illegal mailing of explosives
- Threats against former presidents and certain other persons
- Threatening interstate communications
- Assaulting federal officers
20 years imprisonment