An arrest has been made in connection to the pipe bomb mailings targeting prominent Democrats, a Department of Justice spokesperson confirmed Friday.
The suspect is 56-year-old Cesar Sayoc, The Wall Street Journal reports. Sayoc, a former Florida store manager with a criminal record, is currently in custody in the Miami area. The Department of Justice will hold a press conference later Friday afternoon.
The arrest comes just hours after two more bomb packages were discovered, one addressed to Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and the other to New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, NBC reports.
In all, 12 threatening packages have been sent to prominent Democrats this week. None of the bombs detonated. It’s uncertain whether the inert explosives were intended to harm their targets or merely evoke fear.
Targets have included Barack and Michelle Obama, Hillary and Bill Clinton, former Vice President Joe Bidena, actor Robert De Niro, the CNN newsroom, former CIA Director John Brennan, former Attorney General Eric Holder, billionaire investor George Soros, and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA).
The return address on the packages listed the South Florida office of Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL). Due to an incorrect address, the package addressed to Holder was delivered to the congresswoman’s office.
President Donald Trump has condemned the packages, but on Twitter Thursday blamed the mainstream media for the anger and violence in today’s society.
