Politics

Investigation into mail bombs sent to Democrats after Time Warner Center scare

By Eyewitness News
Friday, October 26, 2018
Candace McCowan reports from Columbus Circle.
NEW YORK (WABC) -- The investigation into the pipe bombs being mailed to prominent Democrats and critics of President Donald Trump widened Thursday, as law enforcement officials seized three more suspicious packages and said they were similar to crude suspected pipe bombs sent to George Soros, former President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, CNN, Rep. Maxine Waters and former Attorney General Eric Holder.

Two were addressed to former Vice President Joe Biden at locations in Delaware, and another was addressed to Robert De Niro and sent to a Manhattan location associated with the actor.
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None of the devices exploded, and no one was injured.

There were also several investigations into other suspicious packages, including another at the Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle, that ended up being unfounded. Authorities said the mall incident turned out to be unattended packages with toys on the third floor, which was evacuated as a precaution. Police blocked the escalators, and people slowly left the mall as bomb-sniffing dogs made sure there was no danger. The two packages had Christmas wrapping paper and were left on top of a garbage can.

The packages sent to Biden were found in New Castle and Wilmington. The FBI and ATF responded to the facilities as part of the ongoing investigation into the devices, with authorities believing these to be ninth and 10th packages tied to the case.

The first crude suspected bomb to be discovered had been delivered Monday to the Westchester County compound of George Soros, a liberal billionaire and major contributor to Democratic causes. Soros has called Trump's presidency "dangerous."

Similar packages were addressed to the Clintons' home in Chappaqua and the Obamas' home in Washington, DC, though the Secret Service said neither package reached their intended recipients. Two more were sent to Waters, a frequent Trump critic, and another to Holder. His package never made it to its destination due to a delivery error and was bounced back to the return address, listed as Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz's office in Sunrise, Florida, which was briefly evacuated.
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Lastly, a police bomb squad removed a package addressed to for CIA Director John Brennan, an NBC News contributor, at CNN's New York City office at the Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle.

TIMELINE of pipe bomb mailings to politicians, others

The object appeared to be a small pipe bomb with wires extending from it, which was removed from the building at 11:37 a.m. and taken to a remote location to be detonated.
This is the package that was addressed to James Clapper, ABC News confirms.none
NYPD's Total Containment vessel arrives as law enforcement respond to the scene of a suspicious package at a postal facility, Friday, Oct. 26, 2018 in New York.none
A member of the Miami-Dade County Bomb Squad is shown outside a postal facility, Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018, in Opa-Locka, Fla.none
A police officer and dog are shown outside a postal facility, Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018, in Opa-locka, Fla.none
Police tape cordons off a post office in Wilmington, Del., Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018.none
The United States Postal Service Delaware Processing and Distribution center in New Castle, Del. is shown on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018.none
A police officer blocks off an area responding to reports of a suspicious package in the Tribeca neighborhood in New York on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018.none
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Federal and local officials are investigating suspicious packages found at a U.S. Postal Service facility in Los Angeles Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018.none
ABC News confirmed that this was the device addressed to Barack Obama and found in Washington DCnone
An X-ray of one of the pipe bombs recovered in New Yorknone
An X-ray of one of the pipe bombs recovered in New Yorknone
none
A New York Bomb Squad unit exits the Time Warner Building on October 24, 2018.none
A social media user shared a photo from a nearby building as the Time Warner Center was evacuated on Wednesday.none
A social media user shared a photo from a nearby building as the Time Warner Center was evacuated on Wednesday.none
Authorities are shown on the scene near the Time Warner Center, where the CNN offices are located in New York.none
People evacuate the Whole Foods in the Time Warner Center, where the CNN offices are located in New York.none
Authorities are shown on the scene near the Time Warner Center, where the CNN offices are located in New York.none
Pedestrians are shown on the scene near the Time Warner Center, where the CNN offices are located in New York.none
Police vehicles are shown on the scene near the Time Warner Center, where the CNN offices are located in New York.none
Authorities are shown on the scene near the Time Warner Center, where the CNN offices are located in New York.none
Pedestrians are shown on the scene near the Time Warner Center, where the CNN offices are located in New York.none
Authorities are shown on the scene of a suspicious package near the CNN building in New York.none
Authorities are shown on the scene of a suspicious package near the CNN building in New York.none
ABC News confirmed that this was the package sent to Hillary Clinton that contained the pipe bombnone
Authorities are shown on the scene of a suspicious package near the home of Hillary Clinton in Chappaqua.none
Authorities are shown on the scene of a suspicious package near the CNN building in New York.none
Authorities are shown on the scene of a suspicious package near the home of Hillary Clinton in Chappaqua.none
Authorities are shown on the scene of a suspicious package near the CNN building in New York.none
Authorities and pedestrians are shown on the scene of a suspicious package near the CNN building in New York.none
An officer of the United States Secret Service sits in his car at a checkpoint near the home of President Barack Obama, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018, in Washington, D.C.none
Officers with the Uniform Division of the United States Secret Service talk at a checkpoint near the home of President Barack Obama, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018, in Washington.none
Officers with the Uniform Division of the United States Secret Service talk at a checkpoint near the home of President Barack Obama, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018, in Washington.none
A police car is parked in front of property owned by Hillary and Bill Clinton in Chappaqua, N.Y., Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018.none

Mayor Bill de Blasio called it an act of terrorism.
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"What we saw here today was an effort to terrorize," he said. "This clearly is an act of terror, attempting to undermine our free press and leaders of this country through acts of violence. I want to make very clear that the people of New York City will not be intimidated, that we are going to go about our lives undeterred because the very concept of terrorism to change us, and we will not allow that to happen."



The bombs seized Wednesday, each with a small battery, were about six inches long and packed with powder and broken glass. The devices were made from PVC pipe and covered with black tape and were sent to an FBI lab in Virginia to be studied. They are being treated as potentially explosive devices, but at this point, it remains unclear if they were designed to actually explode.

Meanwhile, multiple sources tell ABC News that federal authorities are chasing promising leads pointing them to South Florida as a suspected origin of at least some of the bombs. The sources say law enforcement agencies are deploying additional resources to the area to pursue additional evidence.

Officials provided no details on a possible suspect or motive, and the investigation is ongoing.



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