Suspect arrested after pipe bombs addressed to Democratic senator and former intelligence chief intercepted
A suspect has been arrested in connection with the pipe bomb campaign against prominent critics of US President Donald Trump.
Federal authorities arrested a man in Florida, US officials say.
The arrest comes hours after two further home made bombs addressed to former US intelligence head James Clapper and Democratic senator Cory Booker were intercepted by US police today.
Police evacuated the area around the New York City post office after a bomb addressed to both former director of national intelligence Clapper and news network CNN was found this morning.
Police also confirmed that a bomb addressed to Booker had been found in Florida.
This takes the number of bombs mailed to critics of Trump to 12.
Other targets include Democratic presidential candidate Hilary Clinton, former US President Barack Obama, former US Vice President Joe Biden, CNN, actor Robert de Niro, congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and billionaire philanthropist George Soros.
Clapper reportedly said: "My wife and I are away from home right now. And our neighbours have been retrieving our mail. Been very concerned about them. So in one sense, it’s kind of a relief, but it’s not a surprise," adding: "This is definitely domestic terrorism. No question about it in my mind."
Trump tweeted today:
Republicans are doing so well in early voting, and at the polls, and now this “Bomb” stuff happens and the momentum greatly slows – news not talking politics. Very unfortunate, what is going on. Republicans, go out and vote!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 26, 2018
Funny how lowly rated CNN, and others, can criticize me at will, even blaming me for the current spate of Bombs and ridiculously comparing this to September 11th and the Oklahoma City bombing, yet when I criticize them they go wild and scream, “it’s just not Presidential!”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 26, 2018
Police had said they were examining Florida as a possible starting point for the letter bombs.
US homeland security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said: “Some of the packages went through the mail. They originated, some of them, from Florida,” she said during an interview with Fox News.