Mailbomb blitz: Packages sent to Obama, Soros, CNN, Clintons & others

In the last 48 hours, explosive devices have been sent to the homes and offices of numerous high-profile Democratic political figures, as well as CNN’s New York office.

The seemingly ever-growing list of targets includes former President Barack Obama, former president Bill Clinton and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, top Democratic donor George Soros, former DCCC chief and Florida congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and CNN’s New York offices.

Speaking at an NYPD press conference, New York Mayor Bill De Blasio said that the events of the day were “clearly an act of terror” an "effort to terrorize leaders of this country through acts of violence". De Blasio said New Yorkers could “rest assured” that the NYPD are “out in force” to protect the city. He also blamed an “atmosphere of hate” taking over in the run up to the midterm elections.

READ MORE: IMAGES of the mail bomb sent to CNN, Twitter points to ISIS flag on it

The device sent to CNN studios in New York City © AFP / CNN

Here’s what we know so far about the mailbomb blitz.

Soros mailbox bomb

On Tuesday, police said they destroyed a suspected explosive device found at the New York residence of Hungarian-American billionaire and major liberal donor George Soros. A team was sent to the residence after an employee of Soros opened the package at around 3:45 pm on Monday and found a device which looked like a pipe bomb, but police said that there was no threat to public safety.

READ MORE: Explosive device found near Soros' NY home – report

Soros is a major Trump critic and donor to the Democratic party. While he has accused Trump of aiming to build a “mafia state” in the US, Trump has returned fire, accusing him of fuelling public unrest in the US, including protests against the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

In a New York Times op-ed, Soros’ son Alexander blamed Trump and the "politics of demonizing opponents" for the bomb packages. Alexander Soros wrote that the incidents were a threat “to the future of American democracy.”

Obama and Clinton residences

News broke on Wednesday morning of potential explosive devices sent to the residence of former president Bill Clinton and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton in Chappaqua, New York — and to the home of former President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C.

A US Secret Service police vehicle is parked on the street leading to former President Barack Obama's home in the Kalorman neighborhood in Washington, D.C. © Reuters / Gershon Peaks

The Secret Service confirmed that the packages were intercepted and "immediately identified" during routine mail screening procedures and said the the Clintons and Obamas were never at risk of receiving them.

Law enforcement stands outside the gatehouse of Bill and Hillary Clinton's house in Chappaqua, New York. © Reuters / Mike Segar

CNN mailroom device

Later on Wednesday, CNN’s newsroom in New York’s Time Warner Center was evacuated after a suspicious package containing a pipe bomb was found in the mailroom. Around the same time, conflicting reports emerged of devices being sent to the White House, but those were not confirmed. Video posted to Twitter showed evacuation alarms sounding behind CNN hosts on air.

CNN reported that the device was made with pipes and wires. The NYPD later confirmed that "an envelope containing white powder" was also sent with the pipe bomb. It also said that the device had been addressed to former CIA director John Brennan, care of CNN, with a return address of Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s Florida office. Wasserman’s office also received a suspicious device later in the day.

The device sent to CNN was removed and placed in a bomb containment unit.

Police told NBC that all four devices sent to Obama, Soros, the Clintons and CNN are "nearly identical."

A member of the New York Police Department walks with a bomb sniffing canine outside the Time Warner Center in Manhattan, New York. © Reuters / Shannon Stapleton

CNN president Jeff Zucker has lashed out at the White House, denouncing President Trump's "continued attacks on the media."

Wasserman-Schultz office

Police on Wednesday also confirmed that they were investigating another possible suspicious package sent to the Sunrise, Florida office of Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Footage online showed a bomb squad unit and firefighters arriving at the building, but it has not yet been confirmed that any viable device was found.

Kamala Harris and San Diego Tribune ‘false alarm’

In the midst of the unfolding drama, the building which houses the office of Democratic Congresswoman Kamala Harris and the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper was also evacuated over the discovery of what was initially believed to be a suspicious package, but which turned out to be abandoned property.

Andrew Cuomo office

In the latest reported scare, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said that a suspicious device was also sent to his office in Manhattan and was "being handled” by the NYPD, but it was later confirmed that the package was not a bomb and was unrelated to the other incidents. 

Capitol Police have also confirmed another suspicious device was intercepted at the Congressional Mail facility in Maryland, saying that it was addressed to Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters.

President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence condemned the sending of the devices as “despicable” acts and said that the “cowards” responsible would be found.

Speaking at the White House, Trump said a "major federal investigation" into the incidents was underway. He said the country had to "unify" and "come together" and condemned acts and threats of political violence, saying they had "no place" in the US.

“This egregious conduct is abhorrent to everything we hold dear and sacred as Americans,” he said, adding: "We’re extremely angry, upset, and unhappy about what we witnessed this morning.”

Online, speculation abounds as some pundits have been quick to pin the blame on President Trump, citing the fact that so far, all recipients of the potential explosive devices have been highly critical of his administration. Others have suggested the bomb-planting spree has been some kind of false flag intended to benefit Democrats in the upcoming November midterm elections.