Terror by mail: America on edge as FBI hunts serial pipe bomb suspect who targeted Democrats
- Bomb threats have heightened tensions before the November 6 midterm elections
- All of the targets are frequently maligned by right-wing critics
The discovery of pipe bombs mailed to prominent Democrats, CNN and a liberal billionaire has put the United States on edge and sent law enforcement officials scrambling to prevent any more packages from reaching their targets.
The hunt for a serial mail bomber began late Tuesday night when Secret Service personnel conducting standard mail screenings found a pipe bomb inside a plain manila envelope with a bubble-wrapped interior addressed to former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.
A similarly packaged bomb was found hours later in mail addressed to former president Barack Obama.
Neither bomb got close to its intended target, and neither contained a written message, according to law enforcement officials.
At least seven suspicious packages were sent in New York, Washington and Florida, including to prominent African American Democrats, Obama’s attorney general Eric Holder and Maxine Waters, a California lawmaker.
Waters was sent three packages, according to the FBI.
The envelopes were marked with computer-printed address labels. Each listed Debbie Wasserman Schultz, former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, as the sender.