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.
Follow the news updates as they happened
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The NYPD will be holding a news conference shortly on the incident.
In the meantime, White House advisor Ivanka Trump has responded to the explosive devices found earlier today.
Ms Schultz's offices have been evacuated in Sunshine, Florida, the local police department spokesperson Officer Chris Piper said.
The package was mailed to the former chair of the Democratic National Committee this morning.
Ms Schultz's name appeared as the sender on the packages sent to the Clintons' and Obamas' homes as well. Both of those packages were intercepted by Secret Service.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The scene outside of the Time Warner Building in New York, where CNN's offices were sent a package with a pipe bomb, addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan.
All offices, residences, shops in the building have been evacuated. The centre is located in Columbus Circle, where the Trump International Hotel also sits.
AP Photo/Kevin Hagen
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Mr Trump has responded with an uncharacteristically pithy tweet, in the form a retweet and endorsement of Mr Pence's thoughts.
Police have also evacuated the San Diego, California, office of Democratic Senator Kamala Harris. The building also houses the San Diego Tribune newspaper's offices.
The newspaper said the evacuation is due to a "suspicious package"
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
It is not clear if the San Diego incident is related to the others, who was the intended target of the suspicious package, or if it contained an explosive device of some sort as the others found this morning have, but stay tuned here for further updates.
Ms Harris has also been an outspoken critic of Mr Trump and particularly of Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee which recently confirmed US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh despite sexual assault allegations.
Hillary Clinton has addressed the incident, saying: "we are fine thanks to the men and women of the Secret Service...who intercepted the package addressed to us long before it" came to their home.
"It is a troubling time, isn't it? It's a time of deep divisions...and we have to do everything we can to bring our country together. We also have to elect candidates who will try to do the same," she said at a campaign rally in Florida.
Ms Clinton said "as a person, I'm doing great. As an American, I'm worried".
House Speaker Paul Ryan has responded and said they were "reprehensible acts" and "we cannot tolerate any attempt to terrorise public figures."
Louisiana US House member Steve Scalise, the third highest ranked Republican in the House, said "this is a dangerous path and it cannot become the new normal."
He called the packages being sent "pure terror."
Republican Senator Marco Rubio tweeted "if you try to kill any of us you will have to face all of us".
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