A series of bombs have been sent to prominent Democratic figures such as former President Barack Obama, and are being treated as domestic terrorism.
The devices are believed to be pipe bombs, which are known to be extremely unstable and can be set off just by being handled. Multiple packages have been sent to Democratic figures who have been openly critical of President Trump.
On Monday, Oct. 22, a parcel was delivered to billionaire investor and philanthropist George Soros. An employee of Soros opened the parcel and discovered what appeared to be a pipe bomb. They placed the parcel in a wooded area and proceeded to call the police.
Then on Wednesday, Oct. 24, it was announced that both former President Obama and presidential nominee Hilary Clinton were also sent packages. The packages were intercepted by the Secret Service before they reached either of them. Packages were also sent to John Brennan, former Central Intelligence Agency head, Maxine Waters a Democratic representative, and Eric Holder, former Attorney General.
The FBI analyzed the packages in their Virginia lab. The packages were sent in matching envelopes with similar stamps and labeling according to the FBI.
“I definitely believe it was politically motivated,” said Gabriela Storm, a freshman at Bucks when asked what she thought the motive behind these threats may be.
“Any acts or threats of political violence are an attack on our democracy itself,” Trump told the crowd at his midterm rally in Wisconsin on Wednesday night. “We want all sides to come together in peace and harmony. Those engaged in the political arena must stop treating political opponents as morally defective.”
Two law enforcement sources told CNN Wednesday night that they are trying to track down a package addressed to former Vice President Joe Biden now being considered suspicious due to similarities with other packages. The package was misaddressed and returned to the sender.
According to CNN the packages were all sent with former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s office as the return address. They were in manila envelopes with bubble wrap interior and each package has six forever stamps on the envelope as well the FBI said in a statement Wednesday.
“This clearly is an act of terror attempting to undermine our free press and leaders of this country through acts of violence,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio told CNN reporters Wednesday afternoon.
On Thursday, Oct. 25, a bomb addressed to Rober De Niro was intercepted by law enforcement. The package was discovered at 5 a.m. by De Niro’s security personnel and the New York Police Department was immediately notified
Some right-wing personal are already voicing their skepticism of the threat’s credibility.
Bucks student Erika Dillworth, an undergrad getting her paralegal certification, disagrees. Dillworth feels like the midterms and these threats have the opposite correlation. “I think this might be the October surprise. Either party throw out a monkey wrench and I think it could be a major example of that,” said Dillworth.
According to the FBI it is possible that more packages are out there, and they are warning the public to be vigilant.