US bomb threats: At least six suspicious packages sent to Obamas, Clintons and news media organisations across America
Donald Trump says acts were 'domestic terrorism'
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump has called the several packages containing explosive devices or suspected of containing them, acts of "domestic terrorism".
Mr Trump, addressing the situation at the White House, said it was "egregious" and said the American people need "to unify, we have to come together".
Suspected explosive devices have been sent to both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and packages suspected of containing such devices were sent to former US Attorney General Eric Holder, former CIA Director John Brennan, and US House Democrat Maxine Waters. The series of incidents come just two days after a bomb was sent to the home of billionaire George Soros.
The packages to the Clintons, Obamas, and Ms Waters were intercepted before reaching any of them.
Another package containing a “live” explosive device and “white powder” was sent to the mailroom of CNN at their offices in the Time Warner Building in Manhattan, just a few steps away from a Trump International Hotel.
House Democrat and former chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida was listed as the sender/return address on the packages to the Clintons, Obamas, and Mr Brennan.
Her name, as well as Mr Brennan’s, was misspelled on the CNN package. Mr Brennan does not work for the network, but frequently appears on MSNBC.
An additional package was also sent to the Manhattan office of Democratic New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, but it was deemed as “safe” by the New York Police Department and contained a USB drive of “literature”.
Yet another package was labelled as “suspicious” in the building housing a district office of Democratic Senator Kamala Harris and the San Diego Union Tribune newspaper in San Diego, California. It was also deemed safe by police and was not addressed to the senator.
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As a reminder to readers, the US is just two weeks away from the 2018 midterm elections as Democrats and Republicans fight for control of Congress.
Police in Sunrise, Florida, are also reporting a suspicious package was found in the office of US House Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the former chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC).
Vice President Mike Pence has tweeted a reaction to the "potential explosive devices" found earlier today.
CNN has reported the package sent to their offices was addressed to 10 Columbus Circle, the main address of both CNN and the shopping center on the first three floors of the building.
A Time Warner Media executive told CNN the package was received around 9am, but the intended recipient and information about the sender have yet to be named.
Police officials have said the CNN office's device is a "pipe bomb".
If the device cannot be safely defused on-site, the bomb will be transported to an NYPD facility in Rodman's Neck in the New York borough of the Bronx, north of Manhattan, in order to be detonated there.
CNN is reporting the package addressed to their offices was intended to go to former CIA Director John Brennan.
NYPD has advised those in the area of the Time Warner Building and those in the surrounding area through a text message alert to "shelter in place".
Mr Brennan has appeared on the network several times since he left government, having served under both Republican and Democrat presidents while in the intelligence community.
It is unknown why the package was addressed to him or why it was sent to the CNN offices in New York.
It is unclear if this is related to the package being addressed to Mr Brennan, but he has been a frequent and vocal critic of President Donald Trump.
The pair's most recent conflict was when Mr Trump revoked Mr Brennan's security clearance, which is often kept by former government officials to advise successors on certain national security matters and to be able to discuss past issues on which they had worked.
As expected the explosive device cannot be safely detonated in the Time Warner Building in Manhattan. There could be a variety of reasons for this including the number of people in the vicinity or the nature of the pipe bomb.
The NYPD can be seen in this video driving the device up to Rodman's Neck, in the Bronx borough of New York just north of Manhattan. The police have a weapons facility there and will likely be able to safely defuse, if not detonate, the device in that location.
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