Authorities Probe Origin Of Intercepted Devices

CNN’s offices in Manhattan were evacuated after a device was sent .Credit:Jeenah Moon for The New York Times

UPDATE 10/24/18 12:30PM:  The Secret Service said Wednesday that it had intercepted packages containing “potential explosive devices” addressed to former secretary of state Hillary Clinton in New York and former president Barack Obama in Washington, while authorities also rushed to investigate a suspicious package sent to CNN’s headquarters.

“The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such,” the Secret Service said in a statement Wednesday. “The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them.”

According to The Washington Post, the Secret Service said the package addressed to the Chappaqua, N.Y., home of Clinton and former president Bill Clinton was recovered late Tuesday. The package sent to Obama’s Washington home was intercepted early Wednesday, authorities said. Both packages were intercepted by Secret Service personnel working at off-site facilities.

CNN’s headquarters at the Time Warner Center in New York was also evacuated Wednesday morning due to a suspicious package found there. The network broadcast footage of its staffers outside on the Manhattan streets below, where anchor Jim Sciutto could be seen on a cellphone reporting that he was told a suspicious package was mailed to the CNN building

Jeff Zucker, president of CNN, wrote in a letter to employees that the center was “evacuated out of an abundance of caution” after the package was found in the mailroom. He also told employees that CNN had checked on its other bureaus but found no other devices.

Earlier Posting (10:45 am)

The New York Police Department said its officers were “investigating a suspicious package in Columbus Circle,” which is where the Time Warner Center is located. The NYPD was investigating the suspicious package at the network and working with federal partners on the investigations into what was sent to Obama, Clinton, Soros and CNN, according to a police official.

As part of that, the NYPD was increasing patrols at areas linked to those three people and inspecting packages sent to locations tied to them. The police were also increasing patrols at high-profile areas, including media locations, in New York City.

The Secret Service said Wednesday that it had intercepted packages containing “potential explosive devices” addressed to former secretary of state Hillary Clinton in New York and former president Barack Obama in Washington.  The Secret Service are now saying a bomb device was NOT intercepted at the White House which was previously reported.

The Washington Post reports the devices were recovered not long after an explosive device was found in a mailbox at the Bedford, N.Y., home of George Soros, the liberal philanthropist who is a frequent target of criticism from far-right groups.

“The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such,” the Secret Service said in a statement Wednesday. “The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them.”

The Secret Service said the package addressed to the Chappaqua, N.Y., home of Clinton and former president Bill Clinton was recovered late Tuesday. The package sent to Obama’s Washington home was intercepted early Wednesday, authorities said. An Obama representative declined to comment, while a Clinton representative could not be immediately reached.

CNN’s headquarters in New York were also evacuated Wednesday morning due to a suspicious package there.  The NYPD was sending police to other media outlets across New York City as a precaution.

CNN's Poppy Harlow and Jim Sciutto were live on air the moment Time Warner's fire alarm went off directing all employees to evacuate the building, after a suspected explosive device was found in the mailroom downstairs.

Time Warner Center – where CNN's New York offices are located – was just evacuated. The alarm went off as @jimsciutto and @PoppyHarlowCNN were on air reporting the packages sent to the Clintons and Obamas. @ShimonPro reporting it was over "a suspicious package." pic.twitter.com/EYBsytil0o

— 💀andrew👻kaczynski🎃 (@KFILE) October 24, 2018

The network broadcast footage of its staffers outside on the Manhattan streets below, where anchor Jim Sciutto could be seen on a cellphone reporting that he was told a suspicious package was mailed to the CNN building.

The devices sent to Clinton and Obama are suspected to be the work of the same person who sent a similar device to Soros earlier this week, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. Based on the timing and the material, law enforcement officials suspect the same person is behind all three devices, and officials are scrambling to determine if any other such devices were sent to anyone.


White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement:

“We condemn the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures. These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. The United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards.”