5 Apparent Explosives Believed Linked, 1 Other Parcel Seized

What to Know

• Officials are investigating a series of apparent explosive devices sent to Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, George Soros, CNN and Eric Holder[hhmc]

• Five parcels had a return address linking to a high-profile Democratic party member; at least one of them also had a white powder envelope[hhmc]

• The flurry of incidents come less than 48 hours after bomb was planted in mailbox at billionaire philanthropist Soros' NY home[hhmc]

Five "potential explosive devices" sent to Hillary Clinton, former President Obama, billionaire George Soros, ex-Attorney General Eric Holder and CNN at NYC's Time Warner Center are thought to be linked, law enforcement sources say — and officials are looking into whether one addressed to California Rep. Maxine Waters in Washington, D.C., has a similar signature.

Two of the five devices — one addressed to Clinton's Chappaqua home, one to Obama in Washington, D.C. — were intercepted by the U.S. Secret Service. Both were discovered at off-site locations and neither the former secretary of state nor former president were ever at risk, officials said.

Another of the packages — one addressed to ex-CIA chief John Brennan, now an MSNBC contributor — that appeared similar to the others forced an evacuation of CNN at the Time Warner Center Wednesday. NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill said the device appeared to be a "live explosive." He also said there was an envelope with white powder in the original packaging; that powder is being tested. Mayor de Blasio said there are no additional credible threats.

It was at that briefing that Gov. Cuomo revealed his Manhattan office had received a similar package, which law enforcement later determined was not at all linked to the others. A senior law enforcement official told News 4 the item was a threatening letter, not a device, that referenced the Proud Boys street brawl from earlier this month. There was no explosive, the official said. A second official confirmed no device was mailed to the governor's office.

A Cuomo spokesman later issued a statement saying the item appeared to contain computer files on the Proud Boys.

Also Wednesday afternoon, congressional leadership sources confirmed to NBC News that a suspicious device intercepted at a mail processing facility for the U.S. Capitol was addressed to Waters. That device's nature, and possible connection to the others, remains under investigation.

In a statement Wednesday afternoon, Waters addressing the suspicious package saying: “I have been informed by U.S. Capitol Police that my Washington, DC office was the target of a suspicious package that has been referred to the FBI. I am appreciative of the law enforcement entities who intercepted the package and are investigating this matter. I unequivocally condemn any and all acts of violence and terror.”

CNN Worldwide president Jeff Zucker slammed the White House and its continued attacks on the media when responding to the suspicious package delivered to CNN offices at Time Warner Center.

"There is a total and complete lack of understanding at the White House about the seriousness of their continued attacks on the media. The President, and especially the White House Press Secretary, should understand their words matter. Thus far, they have shown no comprehension of that," Zucker's statement reads.

Law enforcement officials say all of the five linked parcels — those addressed to Clinton, Obama, Soros, Brennan and Holder — had a manila outer packaging and the devices had stamps on them. The devices appear to be working explosives, sources say, but final analysis is pending further testing. News 4 obtained an image of one of the devices; it appeared to be crude.

4 Suspicious Package Incidents

Within three days, apparent explosive devices were detected in the mail addressed to Democratic politicians Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, billionaire philanthropist George Soros and the New York City offices of CNN. No one was hurt and investigators are working to determine if the incidents are all linked.

The signature is nearly the same on those five packages and all listed the return address as one belonging to ex-Democratic National Committee chairman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. There is no suggestion Schultz had any involvement, law enforcement officials say. A device was also found at her Sunrise, Florida, office, which was the return address listed.

Investigators believe that was the package addressed to Holder; it appears it may have had the wrong address, which is why it was shipped back to the nominal sender (Schultz's return address).

An officer with the local police department in Florida where Schultz's office is located said the package had been removed by early afternoon and the bomb squad was "rendering it safe." He declined to say whether a live explosive had been in the package and warned, "There may be noise, there may not be noise."

At the Manhattan briefing, an FBI representative with the Joint Terrorism Task Force said the devices assessed thus far appeared to be pipe bombs.

The Secret Service says it recovered the Clinton package, addressed to her home in Chappaqua, late Tuesday. She was not there at the time, though former President Bill Clinton was in the residence. The parcel addressed to Obama in Washington, D.C., was intercepted early Wednesday.

Later Wednesday, at a campaign event in Coral Gables, Florida, Hillary Clinton thanked everyone for their support.

Hillary Clinton, VP Pence React to Suspicious Packages

"We are fine, thanks to the men and women of the Secret Service who intercepted the package addressed to us long before it made its way to our home," Clinton said. "But it is a troubling time, isnt it, and its a time of deep divisions and we have to do everything we can to bring out country together."

Secret Service says it has initiated a "full scope criminal investigation that will leverage all available federal, state, and local resources to determine the source of the packages and identify those responsible."

"The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such," Secret Service said in a statement. "Both packages were intercepted prior to being delivered to their intended location. The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them."

Device in the Mailbox of George Soros Had Bomb

No one was hurt in the Soros case, which happened at his home in Bedford, about 10 miles away from Chappaqua.

A Clinton spokesman referred questions to the Secret Service, but reiterated that, unlike the Soros case, no package actually got to the Clinton home as two senior law enforcement officials initially reported.

In Soros' case, an employee noticed the package, put it in a wooded area and called police, who alerted the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Explosives. A law enforcement source told NBC 4 New York that the device contained explosive powder; it was detonated as a precaution.

Bloomberg via Getty Images

Investigators are reviewing surveillance video to determine whether the package was sent via mail or otherwise delivered.

The FBI is working with police to figure out who sent the Soros device, which a senior law enforcement official said was similar to a pipe bomb. A law enforcement source says evidence was sent to the FBI lab in Quantico for testing. The FBI's New York office said Wednesday that its Joint Terrorism Task Force was working with federal, state and local partners on the investigation. ATF is also investigating.

President Trump was briefed on the situation.

Explosive Device Found in NY Mailbox at Home of George Soros

"The safety of the American people is my highest and absolute priority," Trump said in remarks from the White House Wednesday afternoon. "We will spare no resources or expense in this effort. I just want to tell you in these times, we have to unify, we have to come together and send one very clear, strong, unmistakable message that acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America."

Vice President Mike Pence took to Twitter to condemn the "cowardly" and "despicable" acts and to thank the Secret Service and FBI for their response. President Donald Trump did not issue a statement of his own but did retweet Pence roughly 50 minutes later and added "I agree wholeheartedly!"

In D.C., the mayor and police chief assured the public that local and federal officials would handle the threats.

“We will not let this terroristic behavior interrupt our lives,” Police Chief Peter Newsham said at a news conference.

Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a statement that there was no “additional, credible threat” to the city, and urged tipsters to contact police.

CNN PACKAGE

CNN officials said they checked bureaus around the world "out of a complete abundance of caution and found no additional threats.

"We are working with authorities to determine the severity of the situation," CNN chief Jeff Zucker said in an email to employees.

Law enforcement sources told News 4 that the package addressed to Brennan included a pipe with black tape and wires.

SOROS GOT ONE FIRST
Soros, a billionaire who made his fortune in hedge funds, has donated heavily to liberal causes and is vilified on the right. He is also the subject of many unfounded conspiracy theories. Recently, conservative critics have, without evidence, accused him of secretly financing a caravan of Central American migrants to make their way north toward Mexico and the United States. Others have falsely accused him of being a Nazi collaborator during World War II, when he was a child in Hungary.

Activists frequently post the addresses of homes he owns in Westchester County on social media, sometimes accompanied by menacing messages.

Soros' foundation, The Open Society Foundation, released a statement Tuesday condemning "the politics of hate that dominates our discourse today."

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