A bomb squad worker holds a suspicious package discovered at a New York Post Office Friday, which was addressed to former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. Photo: UPI
Oct. 26 (UPI) — U.S. officials said a Florida man has been arrested in connection with 12 suspected pipe bombs that were sent to prominent Democrats, including two more that were found Friday.
The Miami Herald and NBC News reported the Justice Department confirmed the person, was taken into custody. CNN, which received two of the packages, also reported an arrest in the case.
The Herald reported the suspect is a Florida man in his 50s, who lives in Aventura, near Fort Lauderdale. He was arrested in the parking lot of an AutoZone around 10 a.m. EDT Friday in nearby Plantation, Fla.
The Justice Department will speak at 2:30 p.m. EST to reveal more details about the case.
Earlier Friday, two new packages were found — one addressed to New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and the other to CNN’s New York City offices for former National Intelligence Director James Clapper.
The FBI said a package addressed to Booker was discovered at a U.S. mail facility in Florida.
WCBS-TV reported a package addressed to Clapper at CNN’s offices at the Time Warner Center in New York City was discovered at a mail facility six blocks away. The Time Warner building was evacuated Wednesday when a suspicious package addressed to former CIA director John Brennan was found.
CNN reported the package addressed to Booker’s Camden, N.J., office was found at a U.S. Postal Service facility in Opa-locka, Fla., near Miami. That facility may have also handled at least one other package — the one sent to former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. It was sent to Holder at a wrong address in the Washington, D.C., area and kicked back to the return address — which listed the Florida office of Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz.Other packages discovered this week — containing devices that appeared to be live bombs — also listed the same return address for Wasserman Schultz, the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. Other packages targeted Hillary Clinton, former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Joe Biden, Rep. Maxine Waters, actor Robert De Niro and philanthropist George Soros. Two devices were sent to both Biden and Waters, bringing the total number sent to 12.All the targets of the packages are figures critical of President Donald Trump.”Anyone who has in any way been a critic, publicly been a critic of President Trump, needs to be on on extra alert and take some precautions, particularly with respect to mail,” Clapper told CNN, calling the packages a form of domestic terrorism.”My wife and I are away from home right now. And our neighbors have been retrieving our mail. Been very concerned about them. So in one sense, it’s kind of a relief, but it’s not a surprise. This is definitely domestic terrorism. No question about it in my mind.”Postal facilities around the country have been combing their databases and grounds for other devices that may be connected to the case, investigators said.The FBI is leading a counterterrorism team working to find out who sent the devices.
