‘Potential explosive devices’ sent to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama

Discoveries were made after an explosive device was
found at the home of George Soros, and CNN evacuated its New York
office

Packages containing suspected bombs were sent to the homes of
Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, the Secret Service said on
Wednesday.

The discoveries were made after a explosive device was found at
the New York home of George Soros, the prominent liberal donor.

Later on Wednesday morning the cable network CNN evacuated its
New York offices after receiving what it called a suspicious
package. Police were investigating.

The Secret Service, which continues to protect the Obama and
Clinton families, said in a statement that a package addressed to
Clinton, the former secretary of state, was found late on
Tuesday.

The FBI said in a tweet that the package was discovered “in the
vicinity of the Clinton residence in Chappaqua,” about 25 miles
north of New York City.

A second package “addressed to the residence” of former
president Obama in Washington was found early on Wednesday morning,
according to the Secret Service.

“The packages were immediately identified during routine mail
screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were
appropriately handled as such,” the agency said. “Both packages
were intercepted prior to being delivered to their intended
location.”

Emergency responders were outside the Time Warner Center in
Manhattan late on Wednesday morning after CNN, which broadcasts
from the building, said a suspicious package was discovered in its
mail room. A fire alarm was heard on-air at 10.09am.

The New York Police Department said special operations officers
were investigating and published an appeal for people to contact
its counterterrorism hotline if they had information.

Soros, Clinton and Obama are three of the most prominent figures
in Democratic politics and have for years been the subjects of
attacks and conspiracy theories from Donald Trump and allies in the
Republican party and rightwing media.

Matt Gaetz, a Republican congressman from Florida, last week
falsely suggested that Soros, a billionaire financier and
philanthropist, was funding the “caravan” of Central Americans
currently traveling through Mexico toward the US.

Trump’s press secretary, Sarah Sanders, said on Wednesday that
the White House condemned the attempted bombings. “These
terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be
held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” said
Sanders.

One government official told the Associated Press that
investigators believed the explosive device found addressed to
Clinton was linked to the one found Monday at the home of
Soros.

That device, according to US officials, consisted of a six-inch
length of pipe loaded with explosive black powder. It was safely
detonated by investigators after being found by a domestic staff
member.

The Secret Service said on Wednesday it had opened “a full scope
criminal investigation” with federal and local law enforcement to
find the sender or senders of the packages.