Mail bomb suspect was active on Facebook
Sayoc made numerous references to Russian associates
A Facebook account apparently belonging to the man charged with sending pipe bombs to prominent Democrats this week included references to Russian associates and propaganda links that echo Kremlin views on the Syrian civil war, alongside ramblings about soccer, women and U.S. politics.
Cesar Sayoc, 56, a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump who was arrested in Florida on Friday and charged with multiple federal crimes, apparently spoke of “my Russian brothers” on several occasions on a Facebook page in 2015. The meaning of the references to Russians is not clear, nor is it clear how Sayoc came to view and share propaganda sympathetic to Russian actions in Syria.
Facebook removed the account from public view after news spread of Sayoc’s arrest. But The Washington Post obtained hundreds of public posts from 2015 and 2016 from Columbia University social media researcher Jonathan Albright, who downloaded them Friday before Facebook removed the information.
The Facebook account reviewed by the Post carried the name “Cesar Altieri,” the first and middle names of Sayoc, and features posts including words, pictures and videos, along with copious news links. The posts include many selfies and other pictures featuring him at various locations around Florida, both alone and with what appear to be friends.
Similar themes emerged in a Twitter account that appears to have belonged to Sayoc, under the name “hardrockintlent,” which uses a variation on Sayoc’s name and a business affiliated with him, as well as his picture. Information from the account, which has been suspended by Twitter, was also obtained by Albright. It is distinct from the Twitter account listed in the criminal complaint and indicates Sayoc operated multiple accounts.
The “hardrockintlent” account — which lists the name “Julus Cesar Milan” as the owner — in July 2016 posted about “my brothers in from Russia the great leader Puttins relatives visiting us today” at a Hard Rock Cafe in South Florida. “Puttins” appears to be a misspelled reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A person familiar with the investigation said the FBI is examining all of Sayoc’s social media posts, a standard step in major investigations. Facebook and Twitter declined to comment on any particular accounts but said they are working with law enforcement.
Sayoc appeared to maintain several Facebook accounts, which were all disabled Friday. An account with the name “Cesar Altieri Randazzo” had many personal photos of Sayoc, including videos he took of himself at a Trump rally in 2016. The account, before it was eventuality disabled by Facebook, showed Sayoc had more than 2,700 friends.