Bombs sent to Biden, De Niro as manhunt continues
As high-profile critics of Trump receive explosives, president blames media for ‘anger in society’
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – The two bombs sent to former vice president Joe Biden and actor Robert De Niro were similar to the devices intended for several other high-profile Democrats and critics of US President Donald Trump, authorities said on Thursday.
None of the ten devices exploded but authorities stepped up a manhunt for the serial bomber amid a contentious campaign season ahead of the November 6 elections, where Republicans will try to maintain majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives.
So far, none have claimed responsibility for the packages. The FBI urged the public to report any tips and be vigilant.
Security analysts said the pacakages were probably more of a scare tactic than a murder plot.
“What they wanted to do was scare people, cause disruption, but not necessarily hurt anybody, because if they’d wanted to hurt people the bombs would have gone off,” said Matthew Bradley, a former CIA agent and current regional security director of International SOS and Control Risks.
Several of the eight people who were sent bombs have been targets of Trump’s rhetoric. However, leading Democrats alleged the bombs were a dangerous outgrowth of an antagonistic political atmosphere created by the president.
Trump condemned the bombs but later blamed the media, his frequent foil, for the angry tone. Along with some other Republicans, the president has likened Democrats to an “angry mob,” citing protests at the confirmation hearing of US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
The pipe bombs discovered on Wednesday were similar to those sent to Biden and De Niro, a federal official told Reuters. Authorities described the devices as crude, while security experts said their goal may have been to instill fear rather than to kill.
On Thursday, the FBI said that one of the two packages sent to Biden – who once said he would have “beat the hell” out of Trump if they were in high school – was discovered at a mail facility in his home state of Delaware and the second at another location.
The other device, which was intended for De Niro – who received a loud ovation when he hurled an obscenity at Trump at the Tony Awards last June – was sent to one of his properties in New York City.
As investigators sought the would-be bomber, police evacuated a building adjacent to the US Capitol that houses lawmakers’ offices around midday but did not cite a reason for the action.
AT A WISCONSIN rally on Wednesday night, Trump, who has denounced news media organizations as an “enemy of the people,” called attention to “how nice I’m behaving tonight” – but attacked the media the next morning.
“A very big part of the Anger we see today in our society is caused by the purposely false and inaccurate reporting of the Mainstream Media that I refer to as Fake News,” Trump tweeted. “It has gotten so bad and hateful that it is beyond description. Mainstream Media must clean up its act, FAST!”
All the people who were targeted – including former US president Barack Obama; former secretary of state and democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton; and Eric Holder, who served as attorney general under Obama – are frequently maligned by right-wing critics.
Packages were also sent to former CIA Director John Brennan, who had his security clearance withdrawn after frequently lambasting Trump; prominent Democratic Party donor George Soros and California Rep. Maxine Waters, another outspoken Trump critic. Two packages were sent to Waters, who Trump has called “an extraordinarily low-IQ person.”
Several politicians, including US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, described the package bombs as an act of terrorism. “Someone is trying to intimidate; someone is trying to quash voices in this country using violence,” de Blasio said. “I am confident that we will find the perpetrator or perpetrators.”
THE CNN BUREAU in New York received a package addressed to Brennan, who has appeared frequently as a CNN analyst, leading police to evacuate the Time Warner building in a busy Manhattan neighborhood near Central Park.
The package sent to CNN contained an envelope of white powder that experts were analyzing, New York City Police Commissioner James O’Neill said.
Some major media outlets in New York, including The New York Times, increased their security on Thursday.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told CNN that some of the packages in his state were hand-delivered and that authorities were scrutinizing security camera videos for signs of the bomber.
Trump told the Wisconsin rally that his government would conduct “an aggressive investigation,” adding that “Any acts or threats of political violence are an attack on our democracy itself,” he said. “We want all sides to come together in peace and harmony.”
Last week, Trump, who joined other Republicans in accusing Democrats of encouraging “mob” tactics, heaped praise on a Montana congressional candidate who assaulted a reporter during his 2017 campaign.
The FBI said on Wednesday that the packages consisted of a manila envelope with a bubble-wrap interior containing “potentially destructive devices.” Each bore a computer-printed address label and six “Forever” postage stamps, the FBI said.