Cesar Sayoc arrest: Florida suspect faces 48 years in prison over pipe bombs targeting Trump critics
A dozen explosive devices and suspicious packages intercepted by authorities in last few days
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Your support makes all the difference.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.
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
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says that Mr Trump and politicians across American need to think about their rhetoric in the wake of the intercepted mail bombs.
"If we don't stop this political mania, this fervor, rancor, hatred, you'll see this again and again and again," Mr Cuomo told MSNBC. "We have to get to the genesis, and the genesis is an overheated, vitriolic political division in this country and it starts with the leaders, and it starts with the president."
Senator Kamala Harris' office says authorities in Sacramento, California are investigating a suspicious package mailed to her.
Ms Harris' office says the package was similar to those that have been sent to other prominent Democrats.
The senator's office says it was informed that the package was identified at a Sacramento mail facility.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has announced the charges against Cesar Sayoc Jr:
Cesar Sayoc has been charged with five federal crimes, including interstate transportation of an explosive, illegal mailing of an explosive, threats against former presidents, threatening interstate commerce, and assaulting current and former federal officers, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said at a press conference
Mr Sessions says that the suspect is innocent until proven guilty - but the charges include threats against former presidents and the suspect faces up to 58 years in jail.
FBI Director Christopher Wray says that 13 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were sent in packages.
They were made of six inches of PVC pipe, a small block, a battery, wiring, and potentially explosive energetic material.
“These are not hoax devices,” Mr Wray said.
Investigators found 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, Mr Wray said. They also believe there is DNA on other packages.
US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman will prosecute Mr Sayoc.
“This is an ongoing and active investigation. We will not rest until these crimes are fully investigated,” Mr Berman said.
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