“Explicit act of terror”: what is known about the bombs sent to American politicians

On Wednesday, October 24, the US Secret Service reported the discovery and interception of two suspicious packages with explosive devices, which were addressed to former President Barack Obama and former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In addition, a suspicious package was found in the Time Warner Center building, where CNN's New York office is located.

The press release of the Secret Service notes that a package sent by Hillary Clinton to an address in Westchester County, New York was discovered on October 23, and a packet addressed to Barack Obama was intercepted early in the morning of October 24 in Washington.

“In the course of standard mail verification procedures, parcels were immediately identified as potential explosive devices and were properly handled. Both packages were intercepted before they were delivered to their destination. The protected persons did not receive these parcels, and there was no risk to receive these packages for them, ”the Secret Service reported.

The competent authorities have initiated a full-scale criminal investigation into the incident, which should establish the sender of the parcels and identify the perpetrators.

Later, a suspicious package was discovered during mail sorting in the Time Warner Center building in downtown New York, where, among others, the CNN office is located. The skyscrapers were evacuated, and the police and explosives came to the scene, who removed the suspicious object on a special machine for further study.

According to some reports, this package was addressed to former CIA director John Brennan.

CNN, citing its sources, also reported that security forces intercepted an explosive device sent to the White House, but denied this information to the Secret Service.

According to The New York Times, explosive devices found in the Clinton and Obama packages are similar to those found on October 22 in the mailbox of the house of American billionaire George Soros in Bedford (also Westchester County, New York). Sources of publications reported that the bomb was a piece of pipe about 15 cm long, filled with gunpowder and equipped with a detonator. At the time of the discovery of the dangerous discovery, Soros was not at home, and the bomb was destroyed by the sappers.

Suspicious packages on Wednesday, October 24, were also found in the office of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Congressman Debbie Wasserman-Schulz (this package was said to be addressed to former US Attorney General Eric Holder) , which handles parcels for members of the House of Representatives (this parcel was intended by Maxine Waters), as well as in the office of the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper.

According to the published pictures of the parcel delivered to the Time Warner Center, it was sent from the Debbie Wasserman-Schulz office in Sunrise, Florida (a suburb of Miami).

• Police cordon outside the Time Warner Center in New York
• Reuters
• © Kevin Coombs

“These cowardly acts are repulsive”

The US authorities have already condemned the attacks on a number of politicians and the media, and also thanked law enforcement agencies and special services for their competent work.

“We condemn attempts to attack former President Obama, the Clintons, CNN and others. These cowardly acts are repulsive, and they have no place in the USA. Thanks for the quick reaction of the Secret Service, the FBI and local law enforcement. The perpetrators will be brought to justice, ”wrote US Vice President Mike Pence on Twitter.

His position later "fully" supported Donald Trump. “In such moments, we must rally. We must unite, ”the president said later.

I agree wholeheartedly! https://t.co/ndzu0A30vU

A similar statement was distributed by the White House press secretary Sarah Sanders.

“We condemn attempts to commit brutal attacks against former US presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, against former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and others ... All those who are found guilty of their actions will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law” Sanders.

She also called such actions aimed at intimidation of the population disgusting.

According to New York Mayor Bill De Blasio, recent incidents can be interpreted as an act of terror.

“What we saw today was an attempt to intimidate. This is a clear act of terror aimed at attempting to undermine our free press and the leaders of this country through acts of violence, ”said De Blasio.

In turn, the head of the city police, James O'Neill, said that in addition to the suspicious package, an envelope with a white powder was found in the Time Warner Center building.

“Police officers discovered an item that turned out to be a wire-filled explosive device ... It was moved for further investigation. In addition, a white powder envelope was found that was part of the shipment. He is being studied now, ”O'Neill said during a briefing.

At the same time, New York's Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism, John Miller, told reporters that explosive devices found in several places look like “tube bombs” - pipe-trimmed with explosives.

In turn, a representative of the National Counter-Terrorism Center Mora Baird said that officials have not yet established a connection between suspicious packages and foreign terrorism. The lead role in the ongoing investigation is the FBI.

• The entrance to the house of George Soros, where the first explosive device was found on October 22
• Reuters
• © Shannon Stapleton

“The time is hot now”

According to the deputy director of the Institute of Strategic Studies and Forecasts of the PFU, Nikita Danyuk, it is still premature to draw conclusions about the involvement of certain forces in the mass distribution of explosive devices.

“It is clear that the election campaign, which is connected with the mid-term congressional elections, is in full swing, and each side will use these informational motives to accuse each other that certain forces were behind such kind of tough and provocative steps “- said the expert.

The interviewee RT recalled that the addressees of the parcels belong to the liberal democratic camp and are very tough opponents of the current government in the United States headed by Donald Trump. However, most likely, there is no political motive behind such actions, Danyuk believes.

“That is, this is not connected with the struggle of various groups and political forces on the eve of the midterm congressional elections, but with some third force that is trying to attract attention and show that the United States and the current elite are under the supervision and are potential targets. This is one scenario, ”said the political scientist.

“There is another one, which is behind not some serious force, but an inadequate person who is trying to draw attention to some topics with such steps,” added Danyuk.

In turn, political scientist Alexander Asafov, in a conversation with RT, recalled that in 1970-1990, the United States was an anarchist and terrorist Theodor Kazinsky, who was responsible for sending homemade bombs by mail and nicknamed Unabomber.

“A lot of people suffered from his hands. His motivation was ecological-political. They could not catch him for a long time and were caught by chance. Why did I remember him? In America, there are enough people with different mental components, including single terrorists. We all remember the episode with Timothy McVeigh, who blew up the FBI building in Oklahoma (April 19, 1995, 168 dead and about 680 injured . - RT ), remember the single shooters who opened fire, ”Asafov said.

He suggested that one of the main versions of the special services would be a “crazy single terrorist”. However, one cannot exclude the attempts to imitate the behavior of such a person by one or another force in order to extract certain political preferences from this, the expert believes.

“The time is hot now, literally in a few days there will be congressional elections. Much attention is riveted on them, and there is a serious competition, ”the political scientist concluded.