President Trump praises law enforcement for mail-bombing arrest
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
On Friday, United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that Cesar Sayoc Jr, the suspect connected to the mailing of more than a dozen parcel bombs and suspicious packages to senior Democrats and prominent critics of Donald Trump, had been charged with five federal crimes.
The federal felony charges include interstate transportation of explosives, illegal mailing of explosives and threats against a former president among others. In a press conference, Mr Sessions said Mr Sayoc faced up to 58 years in prison if found guilty.
“We will not tolerate such lawlessness, especially political violence,” he said.
Several moments later, however, the Justice Department said Mr Sessions had inaccurate information about the alleged bomber’s prison time. Mr Sayoc faces 48 years in prison, not 58.
When asked if there are other suspects, FBI Director Christopher Wray said the investigation is active and ongoing. Officials believe there may be other explosive devices in the mail system.
The federal authorities were able to find Mr Sayoc after finding a fingerprint on one of the envelopes sent to California Congresswoman Maxine Waters, which has been confirmed to belong to him, Wray said. Investigators also believe there is DNA on other packages Mr Sayoc sent.
The authorities also seized Mr Sayoc’s white van. The vehicle was covered in stickers featuring Mr Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, anti-gay symbols, Ku Klux Klan paraphernalia, and a lynching of a black person. One of the stickers read “CNN sucks,” echoing a chant often said in Mr Trump’s rallies.
The prosecutor for Mr Sayoc's case is US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman.
“This is an ongoing and active investigation. We will not rest until these crimes are fully investigated,” Mr Berman said.
Mr Sessions said the mail bomb suspect appears to be partisan, but said he does not know why Democratic political figures were targeted.
World news in pictures
Show all 50
Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events
Two weeks prior to sending pipe bombs, Mr Sayoc harassed and threatened Democratic strategist Rochelle Ritchie. Ms Ritchie reported him to Twitter. The social media site responded by saying that Mr Sayoc did not commit any violations.
Mr Sayoc’s Facebook page, listed under the name Cesar Altieri Randazzo, is filled with right-wing propaganda. He appeared to have shared posts and articles from right-wing pages, Breitbart and Fox News. One of the posts Mr Sayoc shares is from a Facebook page called “Handcuffs for Hillary.”
A Facebook spokesperson said it removed multiple posts from Mr Sayoc’s account for violating its community standards. Some of the removals were the result of Facebook users reporting Mr Sayoc’s posts for violations. Others were identified by Facebook through its detection systems.
The violations, however, were not severe enough for the company to remove the account.
If you want to see how the day progressed, follow the live blog below
Actor Robert De Niro has called on people to go to the polls and vote after a series of bombs were mailed to prominent Democrats and liberal activists this week.
De Niro is among those who had a suspicious package mailed to him, and said the following in a statement: "There's something more powerful than bombs, and that's your vote. People must vote!"
Authorities say that a package containing what has been described as a crude pipe bomb was intercepted at his New York City office on Thursday.
Republican politicians are finding ways to spin the pipe bomb scares as more are discovered addressed to prominent Democratic leaders or progressive candidates.
Speaking to conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Texas Senator Ted Cruz described the bob scares and the reaction to the threats as an attack on President Donald Trump.
“Look, it’s the media’s doing what the media does, which is any narrative that they can twist against Trump, they will do so,” Mr Cruz said.
Mr Trump has called for unity following the delivery of the suspicious packages, but has continued to attack the media in the meantime.
Here is a look at one of the packages that was discovered this morning addressed to former Obama administration Director of National Security James Clapper, and in the care of CNN.
The return address is to Florida Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.
President Donald Trump has suggested that the news media has been distracted by the recent rash of pipe bombs delivered to prominent Democrats and his political opponents.
The US midterm elections are less than two weeks away, and are largely seen as a referendum on the first two years of Mr Trump's presidency. Polls suggest that Democrats could ride a wave of enthusiasm to take control of the House of Representatives — a situation that would severely hamper the president's legislative agenda.
But, while polling throughout the cycle has shown Democrats enjoying a healthy lead, Republicans have appeared to make inroads recently in the aftermath of the Supreme Court nomination of Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Here is our report on President Donald Trump's complaint that this "bomb stuff" is slowing the momentum for Republicans in the 2018 midterm elections.
We'll be filling that story out over the next hour or so, so take a look for more in-depth analysis of what he is saying there, and what it means for politics and the nation.
CNN is reporting that federal authorities have arrested a man in connection to the packages that have been delivered this week to Democrats and progressive activists.
There have been 12 packages discovered so far, delivered to prominent individuals including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Cory Booker.
A Justice Department official has confirmed that an individual was arrested in connection to the suspicious packages that have been delivered to prominent Democratic officials and progressive activists.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies