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Washington, DC – The FBI is investigating suspicious packages containing pipe bombs that were sent to multiple Democratic officials and at least one media outlet.
Vice President Mike Pence tweeted a condemnation of the terrorist who sent explosive devices to the homes of two former U.S. presidents and others, even as additional suspicious packages were being reported.
“We condemn the attempted attacks against fmr Pres Obama, the Clintons,
“Grateful for swift response of
The Vice President received a briefing early Wednesday afternoon, after which he said “those responsible would be brought to justice.”
The frightening series of packages began arriving at the beginning of the week, with the first sent to a controversial Democratic donor.
On Monday, an improvised explosive device was discovered in the mailbox of billionaire George Soros.
The bomb squad blew up the suspicious package, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Joint Terrorism Task Force launched an investigation.
Another suspicious package, addressed to Hillary Clinton, was intercepted near the Clintons’ home in Chappaqua, New York on Tuesday, NBC News reported.
On Wednesday, a suspicious package addressed to former President Barack Obama arrived and was intercepted in Washington, D.C., the FBI and U.S. Secret Service said in a statement.
Also on Wednesday, CNN’s New York offices received a suspicious package addressed to former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Jim Brennan.
Just as reporters on “CNN Newsroom” were reporting on the suspicious packages being received by others, an alarm went off in the studio and everyone was forced to evacuate the Time Warner Center in Manhattan.
Their staff continued reporting from a sidewalk nearby as the New York Police Department debated whether the package could be detonated on site, or if it needed to be removed to a facility in the Bronx.
CNN employees were still outside hours later as police investigated a white powder that had been found in the box.
“The security sweep of our building continues,” CNN President Jeff Zucker told staffers in an update.
“There was some powder found within the package that was sent, and that powder now needs to be examined to determine what it is. As a result, it will take some time until we know more about the safety of the building,” Zucker wrote.
Shortly thereafter, WTVJ reported that a suspicious package had also arrived at the Sunrise offices of U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Florida) on Wednesday.
Then MSNBC reported that the package which arrived at Wasserman Schultz’s address was actually addressed to former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.
However, the package was address incorrectly and was returned to the sender listed on the package, Wasserman Schultz, CNN reported.
The same address for Wasserman Schultz’s office was also used on the pipe bombs mailed to Clinton and Obama, according to CNN.
Another package was intercepted before it was to be delivered to Rep. Maxine Waters.
A suspicious package was also reported outside the San Diego Union-Tribune’s offices on Wednesday morning, and the building was evacuated, KSWB reported.
However, an investigation revealed the packages were not, in fact, bombs and the newspaper’s staff was cleared to return to work.
The Sacramento Bee also evacuated their offices while authorities investigated a suspicious package on Thursday, but that too, was determined not to be a threat, KOVR reported.
FBI Special Agent in Charge C. Bryan Paarmann told reporters that “so far the devices have been what appear to be pipe bombs,” CNN reported.