FBI ON THE TRAIL OF BOMB MAKER BEHIND EXPLOSIVES MAILED TO TRUMP CRITICS
▶ Hunt for clues to pipe bombs campaign steps up as US president launches tirade against ‘Mainstream Media’
United States authorities intensified the hunt for the sender of a series of pipe bombs mailed to opponents of Donald Trump yesterday, as the president launched another tirade against the media.
Less than two weeks before the midterm elections, the news of suspicious packages containing pipe bombs sent shock waves across the US. The FBI is treating the incident as “domestic terrorism” while it searches for suspects and any additional explosive devices.
So far, the FBI is investigating at least 10 explosive packages sent to Democratic leaders and celebrities, all of whom are critics of the president who have been attacked by name by Mr Trump either on Twitter or at his rallies.
Those targeted include former president Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, California Democratic Representative Maxine Waters, Florida Democratic Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, philanthropist George Soros, former vice president Joe Biden and actor Robert De Niro.
The FBI cautioned that the number could grow.
The mailed explosive devices did not detonate but bear many of the same hallmarks. They were posted in manila envelopes, with six postage stamps affixed, and printed labels with the same misspellings.
While Mr Trump had called for unity on Wednesday, by yesterday he was blaming the media for instigating the attacks. “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. It has gotten so bad and hateful that it is beyond description. Mainstream Media must clean up its act, FAST!” Mr Trump tweeted.
Democrat leaders responded by accusing the president of creating an atmosphere of hatred. “Time & time again, he has condoned physical violence & divided Americans with his words & his actions,” Congress minority leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement.
The president has made attacks on the media a standard part of his repertoire, referring to journalists as “the enemy of the American people”.
These continuing attacks were creating a polarising atmosphere in which violence was condoned, said CNN President Jeff Zucker. Mr Trump and the White House “should understand their words matter … thus far, they have shown no comprehension of that”.
Some Republicans also urged the president to soften his tone in order to unify the country.
Governor of Ohio John Kasich told MSNBC “when you have the biggest megaphone, you also have the biggest responsibility to use it for good”.
Mitt Romney, who is running for the Senate in Utah, warned that “hate acts follow hate speech. It is past time for us to turn down and tune out the rabid rhetoric.”
The FBI is trying to extract DNA evidence from stamps used in the packages in the hopes of identifying suspects.