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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on possible explosive devices sent to former President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton (all times local):
11:43 a.m.
Two law enforcement officials say a suspicious package that prompted an evacuation of CNN’s offices in New York City is believed to contain a pipe bomb.
The officials said the CNN bomb was crude but operational and was addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan, who appears on air on other broadcast and cable outlets.
The officials say the device discovered Wednesday appeared to be similar to explosives sent to former President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and billionaire George Soros.
A separate law enforcement official told The Associated Press that the explosive discovered at Soros’ suburban New York compound on Monday was a pipe bomb.
All three officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the investigation publicly.
The Secret Service hasn’t provided details about the devices that were sent to Clinton and Obama.
— By Associated Press writers Colleen Long and Michael Balsamo in Washington
The White House condemned “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,” press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement that that referred to the senders as “these cowards.”
Hillary Clinton was attending campaign events for Democrats in Florida on Tuesday and Wednesday and was not at the family’s New York residence at the time. She is headlining a fundraising reception on Wednesday for former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala, who is running for Congress in South Florida.
Bill Clinton was at the family’s Chappaqua home at the time the package was intercepted at a Westchester County facility, said a person familiar with his schedule. The person said the device was screened at the facility — not in proximity to their residence — and never reached the Clintons’ home.
A law enforcement official told The Associated Press that the package discovered at Soros’ home appeared to be a pipe bomb and was in a package placed in a mailbox outside the gates of the compound. A Soros employee opened it just inside the gates, not near Soros’ quarters, the official said.
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Associated Press writer Ken Thomas contributed to this report.
UPDATE
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on possible explosive devices sent to former President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton (all times local):
10:25 a.m.
Hillary Clinton was campaigning for Democrats in Florida and wasn’t at the family’s suburban New York residence when a suspicious package addressed to her was seized by the Secret Service.
Former President Bill Clinton was at the family’s Chappaqua, New York, home when the package was intercepted at a Westchester County, N.Y., facility. That’s according to a person familiar with his schedule who spoke on condition of anonymity and wasn’t authorized to speak publicly.
The person says the device was screened at the Westchester facility and never reached the Clintons’ home.
The Secret Service says the package was identified during routine mail screening procedures and the Clintons weren’t at risk of receiving it.
Hillary Clinton is headlining a fundraiser Wednesday for Florida congressional candidate Donna Shalala.
—By Ken Thomas.
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10:18 a.m.
The White House is condemning attempted attacks made against former President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says in a statement Wednesday: “These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.” She adds: “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.”
The U.S. Secret Service said Wednesday that agents have intercepted packages containing “possible explosive devices” addressed to former President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
The agency says neither Clinton nor Obama received the packages, and neither was at risk of receiving them because of screening procedures.
By MICHAEL BALSAMO, Associated Press
