Mail bomb suspect may have threatened U.S. Rep. Gutierrez
The suspect arrested Friday in connection with a series of pipe bombs mailed to critics of President Donald Trump also may have threatened U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez on social media last month, according to the congressman.
Gutierrez, a Chicago Democrat, said he first learned of the threatening Twitter messages made against him on Friday after his office was questioned by the media. He said his office and social media accounts receive threatening messages often, “but this one was pretty direct.”
“Hey you slime scum,” one of the Sept. 14 messages to Gutierrez reads. “… We will find you very soon. Remember hug your loved (sic) real close everytime u walk out your doors.”
Cesar Altieri Sayoc, a 56year-old Florida man, is facing five federal charges for sending packages to top Democrats and adversaries of the president, authorities said.
Gutierrez forwarded screenshots of the threats to authorities after being contacted about them by the media, he said.
“I do get worried. I don’t really feel scared, but worried, yes,” Gutierrez said. “But scared is not the correct word. As a grandfather, as a husband, as a dad, you’re not so much worried about yourself as you are about them, and what it might do to them.”
Gutierrez spokesman Douglas Rivlin said the congressman’s office has forwarded information about the messages to the Threats Assessment Unit of the U.S. Capitol Police. The office also requested that mail destined for the congressional office in Chicago be put on hold by the postal service. Rivlin provided screenshots of the two messages but said the office “cannot independently confirm that they come from the suspect.”
“We have not been notified of any additional threats or devices that have been mailed,” Rivlin wrote in an email.
The messages to Gutierrez came from an account with the handle @hardrockintlent from a user by the name of Julus Cesar Milan. That account has been suspended.
The other Twitter message simply mentioned Gutierrez and included a collage of photos, including a picture of the congressman with his family and a screenshot of an aerial view of a lake or a bay with a television caption “Child’s Body Found.”
A Twitter account appearing to belong to Sayoc, @hardrock2016, included memes denouncing Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, a Democrat. Other posts called Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg “fake phony.” It also included memes repeatedly attacking Hogg in July. Another post called Gov. Rick Scott the “greatest Governor Ever” with the Republican governor alongside Trump. In June, there was a post coinciding with Trump’s birthday and a message saying: “Happy Birthday President Donald J. Trump the greatest result President ever.”
Sayoc, of Aventura, Fla., was arrested in connection with a series of pipe bombs that were addressed to at least 12 critics of the president, including those intended for former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
In the criminal complaint filed against Sayoc Friday, the FBI said it believed a Twitter account with the username Cesar Altieri was used by Sayoc but did not mention the account that posted the threats against Gutierrez. The complaint stated “posts with misspellings consistent with the packages” sent to Democrats, along with account information listing Florida locations near where Sayoc lived, led the FBI to believe Sayoc was behind the account. The account that threatened Gutierrez also used “Cesar” in the username and “hardrock” as a portion of its handle.
The social media threats against Gutierrez featured at least one photo that includes his daughter. In 1984, when Gutierrez’s house was struck by a Molotov cocktail, he said, he carried his young daughter out of the house in the middle of the night.
“The Congressman is pleased there has been an arrest in this case, but we continue to be vigilant against threats,” Rivlin wrote in response to questions. “In consultation with the Chicago Police Department, U.S. Capitol Police, and the U.S. Postal Service, our staff and the Congressman’s family are taking every precaution against any devices that could still be in the postal system.”
Gutierrez, meanwhile, drew a direct line between the alleged mail bomber and Trump.
“There is absolutely no separation between this individual’s criminal terrorist acts and Donald Trump’s comments,” Gutierrez said. “They are seemingly one and the same. Words have consequences, and the president’s words have huge consequences. He not only denigrates his opponents, but puts them in danger.”
Speaking to reporters in Washington Friday, Trump deflected responsibility.
“There’s no blame,” Trump said. “There’s no anything.”