Bomb found at philanthropist George Soros’ suburban home

A bomb was found in a mailbox at the suburban New York home of George Soros, the liberal billionaire philanthropist who has been denounced by President Donald Trump and vilified by right-wing conspiracy theorists, authorities said Tuesday.

Federal agents safely detonated the device after being summoned Monday by a security officer at the sprawling, wooded compound, about 50 miles north of Manhattan. The 88-year-old Soros was not home at the time.

Laura Silber, a spokeswoman for Soros’ Open Society Foundations, blamed the country’s toxic political environment.

In recent days and weeks, Soros has been accused of being the hidden hand behind some of the opposition to Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination and helping to create the caravan of Central Americans making their way toward the U.S.

“The hateful rhetoric that dominates politics in the U.S. and in so many countries around the world breeds extremism and violence,” Silber said in a statement. “In this climate of fear, falsehoods and rising authoritarianism, just voicing your views can draw death threats.”

The FBI confirmed it was involved in an investigation but declined to comment. The New York Police Department said that as a precaution, it was sending counterterrorism officers to all Soros-connected sites in the city.

Orlando Sierra / AFP/Getty Images Honduran migrants, who were heading to the U.S. in a caravan, get on a bus to return to their country after abandoning the caravan in Ciudad Tecun Uman, Guatemala,at the border with Mexico on Tuesday.

Daniel Slim / AFP/Getty Images A man rests after piling up sand bags to protect a restaurant from Hurricane Willa, before its arrival in Mazatlan, Sinaloa state, Mexico, on Tuesday. Mexico braced Tuesday for the impact of Hurricane Willa as the Category 3 storm barreled toward its Pacific Coast with what forecasters warned would be potentially deadly force.