Man charged over US letter bomb attacks
THE FBI last night charged a man over the bombing campaign against Donald Trump’s critics.
Cesar Sayoc was apprehended outside an AutoZone car parts store in Plantation, Florida, after a campaign which has targeted celebrities and former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton along with his wife Hillary.
Sayoc, 56, was charged with five federal crimes including threatening a former President. He faces up to 58 years in jail if found guilty of all.
FBI director Christopher Wray said at a press conference that Sayoc was caught when a fingerprint on one of the envelopes sent to Democrat Maxine Waters matched a record for him.
There was also DNA on two separate devices which he called “IEDs”, or improvised explosive devices.
Plastered
Mr Wray said that 13 devices had been found so far but more packages “may be in transit” and urged the public to be alert.
Miami Police had arrested Sayoc in 2002 for making a bomb threat against a power company. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation.
Television footage revealed a white van thought to have been driven by Sayoc. It is plastered with pro-Trump photos including one of the President riding a tank. There are also pictures of Mrs Clinton and filmmaker Michael Moore with targets on their faces.
As the suspect was being questioned federal agents were trying to establish if he had co-conspirators and if there were any more devices.
The bomber’s five-day campaign yesterday as a suspicious package was found at a US Postal Service facility in New York.
It was addressed to former director of National Intelligence James Clapper, a strong critic of Mr Trump
Another bomb was found at a mail facility in Opa-locka, a suburb of Miami, and was addressed to Democratic Senator Cory Booker.
Yet another package was sent to Californian billionaire Tom Steyer, a Democrat known for his adverts calling for the impeachment of President Trump.
The developments came as Mr Trump suggested the bombing campaign was a conspiracy against him.
He tweeted: “Republicans are doing so well in early voting, and at the polls, and now this ‘Bomb’ stuff happens and the momentum greatly slows.”