A series of suspicious packages containing rudimentary explosive devices has sent shock waves across the United States ahead of a crucial midterm election.
The bombs were all sent to high-profile recipients with an immediately obvious common trait: their shared public criticism of Donald Trump.
News surrounding the explosives arrived in real-time throughout Wednesday morning, as numerous federal agencies reported they had intercepted suspicious packages sent to the Obamas, the Clintons, Eric Holder, Maxine Waters, CNN and others. Confusion quickly ensued, as several offices of lawmakers nationwide were evacuated and others put on high alert, while the president vowed to “get to the bottom” of the troubling developments.
Here’s a timeline of the events surrounding the suspicious packages sent to Democratic leadership and a major television network:
Monday: A bomb is sent to George Soros’ residence
A package containing an explosive device was discovered at the home of billionaire philanthropist George Soros in Westchester County, New York.
An employee of Mr Soros first located the package, placing it in a deeply wooded area before alerting the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Explosives.
The package was found to have contained explosives inside of it, and was removed from the area without causing any harm.
FBI officials are reportedly working with local law enforcement to follow any leads in the case, and have been combing over surveillance footage to learn whether the package found at Mr Soros’ home was hand delivered or sent by mail.
Tuesday night: Officials intercept a bomb sent to the Clintons
An explosive device was sent to the Clinton’s residence in Chappaqua, New York, located in the same county as that of Mr Soros.
The suspicious package was labelled with a return address to the Florida offices of Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the former chair of the Democratic National Committee.
FBI officials confirmed the package was intercepted before arriving to the residence. Hillary Clinton addressed the matter in a Wednesday speech thanking US Secret Service for their work, saying, “As a person, I’m doing great, as an America, I’m worried.”
Wednesday: Suspicious packages are sent across the country
The day began with a headline-producing statement from the US Secret Service.
The agency said it had “intercepted two suspicious packages addressed to Secret Service protectees,” naming Ms Clinton and Mr Obama as the recipients.
“The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such,” the statement read. “The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them.”
The Secret Service added that it had already “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.”
Suspicious packages were also sent to California Democrat Maxine Waters, which was intercepted at a congressional mailing facility in Maryland, former CIA Director John Brennan, which was shipped to CNN’s offices in New York City, and former Attorney General Eric Holder, which had been returned to former Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, whose Florida offices were listed on several of the packages’ return labels.
The news spurred numerous evacuations nationwide, including at the Time Warner headquarters housing CNN’s New York newsroom, as well as Ms Wasserman Schultz’s offices, which reportedly received the package originally addressed to Mr Holder on Wednesday.
California Democrat Kamala Harris’ field offices were also evacuated, along with the San Diego Union Tribune, which shares the same address as the senator; however, a suspicious package discovered in the area was not addressed to the lawmaker and no longer considered a threat after a brief investigation.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s offices also received a suspicious package, a spokesperson confirmed Wednesday, though it did not appear to be connected to the series of explosives. Rather, the package included a thumb drive containing informative literature on the Proud Boys, a right-wing, all-male organisation.
None of the devices appeared to have detonated, and several explosives experts said they were “unimpressed” by the sophistication of the rudimentary devices — though several appeared to be functional.
What comes next: The federal government has launched a “major investigation”
Donald Trump addressed the string of suspicious packages during a brief speech on Tuesday, saying, “In these times, we have to unify. We have to come together”.
He added, “This egregious conduct is abhorrent to everything we hold dear and sacred as Americans.”
Meanwhile, several Republicans have come out to rebuke statements the president has made against several of the suspicious package recipients.
“Disgusting, vile threats and actions against fellow Americans and our institutions are sadly unsurprising: hate acts follow hate speech,” Utah Republican senatorial candidate Mitt Romney tweeted Wednesday. “It is past time for us to turn down and tune out the rabid rhetoric.”
Arizona Senator Jeff Flake also condemned recent comments Mr Trump has made, telling CNN, “What the president says matters and if he were to take a more civil tone, it would make a difference."
The Republican — who is not running for re-election in the November midterms — also added, “The president shouldn’t refer to the press as the ‘enemy of the people.’ We all need to watch the rhetoric that we use.”
Meanwhile, the FBI has warned Americans that additional explosive devices may not yet be discovered but could have been sent as part of the thread of suspicious packages.
“It is possible that additional packages were mailed to other locations,” the agency said in a statement. “The FBI advises the public to remain vigilant and not touch, move or handle any suspicious or unknown packages.“
