Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Sam Levin, Jamiles Lartey and Erin Durkin

Pipe bombs suspect Cesar Sayoc charged with five federal crimes – as it happened

Jeff Sessions said: ‘We will bring the full force of the law to anyone who attempts to use threats, intimidation and outright violence.’
Jeff Sessions said: ‘We will bring the full force of the law to anyone who attempts to use threats, intimidation and outright violence.’ Photograph: Shawn Thew/EPA

Trump has ended his North Carolina rally, during which he called for “civility” before attacking the media, Hillary Clinton, Maxine Waters, immigrants and other frequent targets. We’re ending our live coverage. Here’s a summary of the day’s events:

  • Suspect Cesar Sayoc was arrested at an auto parts shop in the city of Plantation, Florida this morning.
  • Sayoc’s white van was covered in stickers celebrating Republicans and denouncing the president’s opponents.
  • The suspect was charged with five offenses, including threats against former presidents, mailing explosives, and assaulting current and former federal officers.
  • Thirteen devices were mentioned in a federal criminal complaint.
  • A 14th device was reported by the billionaire Tom Steyer, who has called for Trump’s impeachment.
  • A single fingerprint left on a package posted to a Democratic congresswoman was crucial to ending the manhunt.
  • Jeff Sessions, the attorney general, said of Sayoc, “He appears to be a partisan.”
  • Sayoc was born in Brooklyn and registered as a Republican in 2016, according to public records.
  • His social media accounts contain photographs and video clips in which he is wearing Trump’s red “Make America Great Again” hat.
  • Trump called for “civility”, but then attacked the media, encouraged chants of “CNN sucks” and “lock her up”.
  • Trump supporters in North Carolina said they suspected the attacks were part of a “liberal hoax” despite the FBI saying they were “not hoax devices”.

Trump, still speaking in North Carolina, also started an attack on Congresswoman Maxine Waters of California, who was sent two packages. He said her name, but then stopped himself:

I’m going to be nice tonight. So I won’t say it, I won’t say it. I want them to say, ‘He was so nice tonight.’

Trump has repeatedly attacked Waters this year, calling her “an extraordinarily low IQ person” in a tweet that ended: “Be careful what you wish for Max!”

Waters previously said people have threatened to assassinate, hang and lynch her as a result of her criticism of Trump.

Minutes after calling for civility, Trump has attacked Hillary Clinton, overseeing a “lock her up” chant:

Trump has moved on from discussing the pipe bombs and returned to his rally talking points. He said little of the suspect.

It’s worth noting that, contrary to Trump’s claims that the right does not blame Democrats for “leftist ... violence”, the president has recently sought to link the Democratic party to anti-fascists and “antifa”. In August, during a private meeting with Christian ministers, Trump said if Republicans lose Congress, congressional Democrats “will end everything immediately”.

He continued, “They will overturn everything that we’ve done and they’ll do it quickly and violently. And violently. There’s violence. When you look at antifa, and you look at some of these groups, these are violent people.” See more here:

Trump also mentioned the gunman who shot Republican lawmakers at a congressional baseball game last year, injuring Congressman Steve Scalise. That shooter was reportedly a supporter of Bernie Sanders:

Trump further claimed that he does not “blame the Democrat Party” when “radical leftists seize and destroy public property”.

Trump did not mention CNN, which was one of the targets of the improvised explosive devices and was forced to evacuate its New York office.

Trump has shifted from praising law enforcement to attacking the media:

In recent days, we’ve had a broader conversation about the tone and civility of our national dialogue ... Everyone will benefit if we can end the politics of personal destruction. We must unify as a nation in peace, love and harmony. The media has a major role to play whether they want to or not. They have a major role to play, as far as tone, and as far as everything.

The president went on to criticize the media’s “constant unfair coverage, deep hostility and negative attacks”, claiming that they “only serve to drive people apart and to undermine healthy debate”.

He said the media was exploiting the pipe bombs to “score political points against me” and Republicans.

He continued, “The media has tried to attack the incredible Americans who support our movement. ... Our supporters are some of the most honest, wonderful ... principled hardworking patriotic people on the face of God’s earth.”

Sam Levin here, taking over our live coverage. Trump is speaking now at a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is addressing the 13 suspected pipe bombs sent to his critics:

The suspect has been captured, great job, and is now in federal custody. These terrorist actions must be prosecuted and punished to the fullest extent of the law. We all know that. I want to applaud the FBI and Secret Service ... They did an incredible job. This is finding truly a needle in the haystack, when you think about it. We love our police and we love our law enforcement. Political violence must never ever be allowed in America and I will do everything in my power to stop it.

Guardian reporter Jon Swaine noted this afternoon that Syoc’s Twitter accounts have now been suspended.

Updated

More from Richard in Plantation Florida:

Documents released by the Broward County sheriff’s department on Friday evening reveal a bizarre episode in May 2015 in which Sayoc claimed somebody had stolen Donald Trump branded clothing from him worth $7,150.

The incident/investigation report submitted by Officer C Salerno lists more than $44,000 in property that Sayoc claimed had been taken from his parked Dodge Ram SUV and an attached U-Haul trailer shortly after midnight on 12 May 2015 when it was parked in Oakland Park, Florida.

The Trump items, listed under “clothing/furs” and detailed as “dress suits” were not even the most expensive: Sayoc told detectives that Tasso items worth $9,600 and Boss items at $7,650 were also swiped along with office equipment, computers and miscellaneous household appliances.

It is not known if anyone was ever arrested for the alleged crime or if Sayoc received an insurance payout.

Meanwhile, the same batch of documents from the Broward sheriff’s department includes a series of other mugshots of Sayoc from five separate arrests between 2004 and 2015.

Our Ed Pilkington is in Charlotte North Carolina where Trump supporters have been lining up all day in a driving rain to see the president speak at a midterm campaign rally this evening. The attitude among the crowd there regarding today’s arrest? Paranoia over the whole episode being a hoax or “set-up”, despite all that’s been revealed about Sayoc.

Kathy Chenette, 62, a realtor from Mooresville, North Carolina, said she had read on Twitter that the same configuration of stickers on the back of the van had been photographed on the side of the van.

“This was obviously Photoshopped,” she said. “I think it’s a distraction against the invasion of illegal immigrants at the border. It’s all set up by Soros.”

George Soros, the billionaire financier, activist and philanthropist, was one of those who had a bomb mailed to his address. In the criminal complaint, prosecutors alleged that comments critical of Soros were posted on Wednesday on a Twitter account believed to be used by Sayoc.

“We just don’t know,” said Tyler Yelton, 43, who works as a landscaper. “Maybe he bought the van already with the stickers on it, or maybe this whole thing is a setup.”

Read more from Charlotte below:

Updated

We’ve got Richard Luscombe in Plantation, Florida, where bomb plot suspect Sayoc was arrested earlier today with this:

Mechanic Junior Herrera told the Guardian that Cesar Sayoc did not work at the Autozone store in Plantation where he was arrested, but was a regular customer there and would sometimes sleep outside overnight in his van.

“I passed by one day at midnight and his van was parked out the back. It was kind of awkward,” he said.

“Most of the workers here know him. He used to come in and out buying stuff all the time. Pretty quiet guy, but weird looking. The van was the sign, it was kind of weird. Stuff like, ‘Thank God we have a president with balls’ on the side.

“But he never spoke about anything political, he was always talking about car parts, you know, and ‘how do I fix this?’”

Herrera added that Sayoc was very secretive about his van. “He wouldn’t let you look inside, not even a peek. I helped him change the oil once, it was just ‘hey, I need this done’ and open the hood.’”

Last week, Herrera said, Sayoc had bought a large quantity of vehicle liquids from the store, including starting fluids and brake cleaners. “He carried them all out in a bag. They’re all chemicals, gasoline or petroleum based and flammable,” he said.

Updated

Trump supporters lining up for a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina apparently got the president’s memo about not toning down the heat on attacking Democrats or the news media.

CNN was one of the targets of Sayoc’s improvised explosive devices.

More Trump to reporters just now:

  • Lamented that bomb plot has cost Republicans momentum.
  • Said he will not tone down his trademark aggressive rhetoric.

I could really tone it up because as you know the media’s been extremely unfair to me and to the Republican Party.”

Updated

Per NBC News, Trump not planning to reach out to Obama or others figures targeted in Sayoc’s bomb campaign.

“I think we’ll probably pass,” he said.

Sayoc’s white van, with all of its elaborate political displays and anti-Democrat sentiment is exactly the type of thing people tend to pull out their smartphone and snap a picture of these days. Expect to see a lot of posts and images like this in the coming hours and days from people who snapped it before this weeks events.

The Washington Post has this report on Sayoc’s employment with a Florida pizzeria, and the white van he drove and was living in - which investigators seized earlier today.

Debra Gureghian, the general manager of New River Pizza and Fresh Kitchen in Fort Lauderdale, said that Sayoc worked as a delivery truck driver for several months until he quit in January.

“He was crazed, that’s the best word for him,” she said. “There was something really off with him.”

The white van he drove to deliver pizzas was covered in disturbing images, she said, so the restaurant required him to park it on the side where it could not be seen.

“It was puppets with their heads cut off, mannequins with their heads cut off, Ku Klux Klan, a black person being hung, anti-gay symbols, torchings, bombings you name it, it was all over his truck,” Gureghian said.

He was kept on because he did his work reliably and good drivers are hard to find, she said. But he disturbed his co-workers with racist comments and texts.

UPDATE: DoJ now saying Attorney General Jeff Sessions and other officials at this afternoon’s press conference had incorrect information on how much prison time Cesar Sayoc faces. He faces up to 48 years in prison, not 58 years.

Good Afternoon, this is Jamiles Lartey taking over for Erin.

Here’s a summary of what can be found in the 11 page criminal complaint filed against Sayoc today by federal prosecutors.

The charges:

  1. Interstate Transportation of an Explosive
  2. Illegal Mailing of Explosives
  3. Threats Against Former Presidents and Certain Other Persons
  4. Threatening Interstate Communications
  5. Assaulting Federal Officers

The devices and packaging:

Each of the 13 IEDs was largely similar in design and construction; they each consisted of approximately six inches of PVC pipe, a small clock, a battery, wiring, and energetic material. Certain of the mailings included photographs of the target-recipients marked with a red “X.”

...Approximately six self-adhesive American flag postage stamps are located on the top right corner of each of the Packages, the return address for each of the Packages is the same, and the sender and target-recipient address labels on each of the Packages are substantially similar in terms of color, size, and font.

DNA and fingerprint evidence:

According to the filing, a fingerprint found on the package sent to Maxine Waters was matched to a fingerprint sample from Sayoc collected by law enforcement in Florida.

There is also “a possible DNA association” between Sayoc and samples recovered from the packaged addressed to Maxine Waters and Barack Obama.

Cesar Sayoc made posts on social media suggesting an affiliation with Florida’s Seminole tribe, but the tribe has disavowed him. They said in a statement:

“We can find no evidence that Cesar Altieri, Caesar Altieri, Caesar Altieri Sayoc, Ceasar Altieri Randazzo (Facebook) or Julus Cesar Milan (Twitter) is or was a member or employee of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, or is or was an employee of Seminole Gaming or Hard Rock International. At this time, we cannot verify if he is or was an employee of a vendor company.”

Suspect Cesar Sayoc “appears to be a partisan” but details about his motivation are not known, said Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

“I don’t know,” Sessions said when asked why Sayoc had targeted Democratic political figures.

Officials declined to say whether Sayoc is cooperating. FBI director Christopher Wray said it is too early to discuss his motivation.

The investigation continues and officials would not say if the suspect acted alone.

“We do believe that we’ve caught the right guy,” Wray said. “There’s still a lot of work to be done.”

US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman will prosecute Sayoc.

“The defendant’s conduct as charged is cowardly and reprehensible,” he said.

Sayoc is charged with five federal crimes and faces 58 years in prison.

“This is an ongoing and active investigation. We will not rest until these crimes are fully investigated,” Berman said.

The FBI has recovered 13 improvised explosive devices, said FBI director Christopher Wray.

They were made of six inches of PVC pipe, a small block, a battery, wiring, and potentially explosive energetic material.

“These are not hoax devices,” Wray said.

Investigators found Sayoc after finding a fingerprint on the envelope sent to California Rep. Maxine Waters, which has been confirmed to belong to him, Wray said. They also believe there is DNA on other packages.

Other bombs may still be found.

“There may be other packages in transit now,” Wray said.

Sayoc charged with five federal offences

Cesar Sayoc has been charged with five federal crimes, including interstate transportation of an explosive, illegal mailing of an explosive, threats against former presidents, threatening interstate commerce, and assaulting current and former federal officers, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said at a press conference.

He faces up to 58 years in prison.

“Let this be a lesson to anyone, regardless of their political beliefs, that we will bring the full force of law who attempts to use threats, intimidation and outright violence to further an agenda. We will find you. We will prosecute you,” Sessions said.

Jeff Sessions on Friday.
Jeff Sessions on Friday. Photograph: Shawn Thew/EPA

Updated

Summary

Here’s a recap of what we know so far:

  • Cesar Sayoc, 56, was arrested in Florida on suspicion of sending at least a dozen explosive devices to Democratic political figures and CNN.
  • He is an outspoken Donald Trump supporter with a long trail on social media. He posted memes attacking some of the targets of the bombs, including Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and promoting conspiracy theories about them. And he posted fervent support for Trump, including images of himself at a Trump rally and in a Make America Great Again hat. Authorities also seized a white van covered in political decals.
  • He had an extensive criminal record, with at least 8 arrests. One was for threatening to bomb a utility company.
  • He had financial troubles, including a bankruptcy and a foreclosure. He may have been living in the white van.

Billionaire Tom Steyer says suspicious package was intercepted

Billionaire Democratic donor Tom Steyer said a suspicious package addressed to him was intercepted at a mail facility in Burlingame, CA.

Steyer said in a statement:

“We’re thankful that everyone we work with at NextGen America and Need to Impeach is safe -- that’s always our first priority, and will continue to be our first priority.

We are seeing a systematic attack on our democracy and our rule of law that extends much further than just one isolated terrorist in Florida. Whether it’s voter suppression, voter intimidation, attacks on our free press, gerrymandering, or attempted violence -- the trust and norms that are the actual basis for our civil society and political system are being eroded. It’s time for the Republican Party to denounce any attacks on the rights and dignity of any American and begin to work on building the broadest and most comprehensive democracy possible for each and every American.”

Updated

Sayoc was arrested in 2002 for threatening to bomb a Florida utility company, CNN reports.

He said it would be “worse than Sept. 11,” according to Miami police reports seen by the network.

He allegedly called Florida Power and Light and threatened to blow up the building if his lights were shut off, in addition to threatening an employee with bodily harm.

Sayoc had been arrested a total of eight times, according to CNN. One arrest was for possession of a stolen vehicle in North Carolina in 1999, a spokeswoman for the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office told the network.

Another arrest was for trying to walk out of a Walmart with a shopping cart filled with $239 worth of merchandise, according to NBC News.

Cesar Sayoc 'a loose cannon', cousin tells NBC

Suspect Cesar Sayoc worked as an exotic dancer and bouncer at several strip clubs, a cousin told NBC News.

The cousin called Sayoc a “loose cannon” and a “lost soul” and said he was estranged from his family.

“He’s been in the strip clubs since he was 22, that was his life,” the relative said. “He was a male dancer and he wanted to be a wrestler. He was taking steroids. He was all buffed up....He was built like a rock.”

Sayoc appears to have been living in his van and showering at the gym, according to NBC. He filed for bankruptcy in 2012 and a property he owned was foreclosed on in 2009.

Updated

Rochelle Ritchie said she was threatened on Twitter by the suspect after an appearance on Fox News, and reported him to the website.

California authorities are investigating a package addressed to Tom Steyer, a billionaire Democratic donor, that bore similarities to the devices sent to other Donald Trump critics, CNN reported.

Law enforcement in the state is also probing a package addressed to Sen. Kamala Harris.

Clearer photos of a white van believed to be the same one used by the suspect feature targets over images of Hillary Clinton, filmmaker Michael Moore, CNN’s Van Jones, and other liberal figures.

There are photos of Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, a “Native Americans for Trump” slogan, and a Trump seal with the words “My President.”

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that even though the suspect has been caught, additional explosive devices may still be found.

“I would not be surprised if there are additional packages, just because he is caught doesn’t mean he doesn’t have other packages in route,” Cuomo said on MSNBC. “The good news is none of them have detonated. They’re not fake bombs, that’s propaganda, but they’re not highly sophisticated devices either, so everyone should be on full alert.”

Cuomo said his “instinct” is that suspect Cesar Sayoc acted alone, though investigators have not reached a definitive conclusion.

“My instinct is it’s going to basically be this individual acting on his own behalf,” he said.

“This is just a lesion on the body, not the virus, and if we don’t stop this political mania, this fervor, rancor, hatred, you’ll see this again, and again, and again,” Cuomo said.

The suspect’s Facebook page features photos from a Trump rally in 2016 and right wing political memes.

Sayoc posted several photos of himself wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat, and a video where he’s wearing the hat as Trump speaks at the October 2016 rally.

The images from the rally also include photos of Trump speaking and “Blacks for Trump” signs.

Memes he posted on his page include an image of Hillary Clinton - one of the bomb targets - labeled “hypocrite.” Other memes promote fringe conspiracy theories about Clinton, calling her a “serial killer” and accusing her and husband Bill Clinton of having people murdered.

There are images criticizing Islam as a “barbaric evil cult” and referring to Muslims as “paedophiles and rapists.”

There are other posts depicting refugees as terrorists, opposing gun control, and attacking former President Barack Obama, who was targeted with a bomb.

Another photo posted on the account shows a sign reading “Thank you, Lord Jesus, for President Trump.”

There are also multiple photos of Sayoc posing with young women.

His Twitter account shows a photo of him holding a sign attacking CNN, where two bombs were addressed.

Updated

Kevin Cooper, the Republican Executive Committeeman in Miami Dade County representing the city of Aventura, condemned the crimes:

“The alleged actions of this suspect have no place in our community or in our political discussion. The Republican Party has always been the party of growth, opportunity, and progress, and it is shameful that our politicals have gotten to this level. No one should use fear and intimidation to silence free speech. The actions of one individual do not speak for our party or our community.”

“These terrorizing acts are despicable and have no place in our country,” President Trump said in remarks at the White House.

Trump confirmed that a suspect has been taken into custody after a far-reaching investigation.

“We will prosecute them, him, her, whoever it may be to the fullest extent of the law,” he said.

Trump condemned the packages sent to “high profile figures” but didn’t mention them by name. The targets, all Trump critics, include Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Rep. Maxine Waters, Sen. Cory Booker, and financier George Soros. Two packages were addressed to CNN, which Trump has continued to attack since the bomb scare.

“We must never allow political violence to take root in America, cannot let it happen, and I’m committed to doing everything in my power as president to stop it and to stop it now,” he said Friday.

He praised the FBI, Secret Service, NYPD and others for quickly finding the suspect. “It’s a needle in a haystack. How do you do it so quickly. They’ve done an incredible job,” Trump said.

Sayoc was previously arrested and accused of threatening to use a bomb, the New York Times reports. His criminal history dates back to 1991 and also includes felony theft, drug and fraud charges.

Updated

Suspect Cesar Sayoc is a registered Republican with an extensive criminal history who appears to have owned dry cleaning and catering businesses, NBC News reported, citing public records.

Images of the van authorities took away from the site of the arrest appear to show photos of Trump and a presidential seal, along with other political decals. One sticker read “CNN sucks.”

DNA evidence played a role in the arrest, per NBC.

Updated

Suspect named as Cesar Sayoc, 56

NY1 is reporting the suspect is Cesar Sayoc Jr., 56, of Aventura, Florida.

Updated

President Trump says he’ll be addressing the bomb packages at an event soon.

It’s a quick shift from comments an hour and a half ago, when he put “bomb” in quotation marks and focused on the political implications.

The suspect is a man in his 50s with an address in Aventura, Florida, according to CNN.

He was arrested outside the AutoZone in Plantation, Florida, where authorities were also preparing to tow a white van.

The man has a criminal history and once lived in New York, CNN reported.

The suspect was arrested around 10am and is currently being questioned by FBI agents with the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Miami Herald reported.

Miami’s CBS4 reported a “loud explosion” was heard at the time of the arrest, possibly from an FBI flash bomb device.

Updated

A van belonging to the suspect is being towed from an Autozone in Plantation, Florida.

The FBI, NYPD, Florida law enforcement and others were on the scene and covering the van with a blue tarp, according to WSVN footage from the scene.

Man arrested over explosive devices

Authorities have arrested a man in connection with the explosive devices sent to political figures.

The Justice Department confirmed the arrest and is expected to provide more information at a 2:30pm briefing. The man was arrested in Florida, according to several news outlets.

The arrest comes as two more devices were discovered Friday morning. One, found in Florida, was addressed to New Jersey senator Cory Booker. The other, found at a New York post office, was addressed to former national intelligence director James Clapper at the offices of CNN.

Read our developing news story here.

Updated

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
IshowSpeed breaks silence on rumors about having children after MrBeast baby joke during livestream confuses fans online
IshowSpeed shut down rumors saying he already has children during a March 4, 2026 livestream. The YouTuber explained that he plans to become a parent around the age of 26, not now. The speculation started after Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson jokingly said Speed was having a baby during a February livestream…
The Times of India
The Times of India
The world was rooting for Britney Spears when she broke free — now concerns are growing over her very public spiral
IN FOCUS: When Spears was released from her conservatorship in November 2021, her fans celebrated in the streets. Less than five years on, the pop superstar’s DUI arrest comes amid growing concern for her wellbeing, writes Kevin E G Perry
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Jamie Lee Curtis says The Bear is ending with season 5 but admits she may have "completely blown" an under-wraps announcement
The Bear season 5 is expected to air this year
Total Film
Total Film
Boba Fett star all but confirms his Star Wars bounty hunter won't show up in The Mandalorian and Grogu: "[I’m] shelved, that’s all, like a jar of peaches"
Don't expect Boba Fett to show up in The Mandalorian and Grogu
Total Film
Total Film
I Was Stoked For New ACOTAR News, But Sarah J. Maas’ Comments About The TV Series Have Been An Emotional Rollercoaster
ACOTAR fans are definitely feeling a lot right now.
Cinemablend
Cinemablend
Popular potato chip flavor recalled in six states over health risk
The chips contained an undeclared ingredient, posing the risk of an allergic reaction
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play