President Trump praises law enforcement for mail-bombing arrest
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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.
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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
Geraldo Rivera, a correspondent-at-large for Fox News, rescinds his comments speculating that the mail bombs were a "false flag" operation. Mr Rivera said he "outsmarted" himself in conjuring the theory that Democrats plotted pipe bombs as a "false flag" attack to hurt President Donald Trump and the GOP.
On Thursday, Mr Rivera appeared on Fox News and said he believes the mail bombs are a part of an "elaborate hoax."
“I believe that those bombs were never intended to explode," Mr Rivera said on air. "I think those bombs were intended to further divide the American people.”
After the arrest of Cesar Sayoc, the authorities towed the alleged mail bomber's white van.
The vehicle had its exterior covered with stickers featuring photos of President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence among other Republican paraphernalia. One of the stickers read "CNN Sucks," which is a chant often heard at Mr Trump's rallies.
The Washington Post reported that Cesar Sayoc worked as a pizza delivery man. He worked at the New River Pizza and Fresh Kitchen in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The white van, covered in Donald Trump paraphernalia, was used to deliver pizza orders. Mr Sayoc also lived in that van.
Debra Gureghian, the general manager of the pizzeria, described Sayoc as "crazed." When working, Ms Gureghian said Mr Sayoc was asked to park his vehicle where it would not be seen by customers.
According to Ms Gueghian, his vehicle also included "puppets with their heads cut off, mannequins with their heads cut off, Ku Klux Klan, a black person being hung, anti-gay symbols, torchings, [and] bombings you name it."
Mr Sayoc also disturbed his co-workers with racist remarks and text messages.
The pizzeria manager said Mr Sayoc retained his job because he was a reliable employee and that "good drivers are hard to find."
Rochelle Ritchie, a Democratic strategist, said that Cesar Sayoc harassed and threatened her on Twitter two weeks prior him allegedly mailing pipe bombs to 12 notable Democrats.
Ms Ritchie said she reported Mr Sayoc to the social media site. Twitter responded by saying Mr Sayoc committed no violations.
That is it for today's coverage on the series of suspicious packages sent to notable Democrats across the country and on the arrest of the suspect Cesar Sayoc. Thanks for following and reading along.
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