Bombs sent to Joe Biden and Robert De Niro, latest in string of attempted attacks
- Two bombs were sent to Biden, one to De Niro. Nobody was injured.
- So far, 10 people, all Democrats or critics of President Donald Trump, have been targeted in this week’s string of attempted bombings.
- Trump denounced the attempted bombings but also suggested the media is partly to blame.
Authorities intercepted packages containing what appeared to be pipe bombs addressed to former Vice President Joe Biden and, separately, actor Robert De Niro, officials said Thursday, adding that the explosive packages were similar to those sent this week to political figures and critics of President Donald Trump.
No one has been injured in the string of attempted bombings.
Two packages addressed to Biden were discovered Thursday morning in a postal facility in New Castle, Delaware. One package sent to De Niro’s production company in New York City was discovered by a worker who noticed it looked similar to those he’d seen in the news this week. He called police early Thursday morning.
The FBI, the Secret Service and other officials are conducting a nationwide manhunt to find who’s responsible for the attempted bombings. Some expect the packages found Thursday weren’t the last.
“It’s prudent and diligent to expect more,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said Thursday on MSNBC.
A package containing a bomb, addressed to Robert De Niro. (Photo provided by law enforcement.)
Who are the bomb targets?
Explosive packages have so far been sent to 10 people this week, all of whom are Democrat politicians or notable critics of Trump. They include:
- Former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton
- Former President Barack Obama
- Former CIA Director and CNN contributor John Brennan (This package resulted in the evacuation of CNN’s New York bureau.)
- Billionaire George Soros
- Former Attorney General Eric Holder
- Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif. (Two bombs were addressed to Waters.)
- Actor Robert De Niro
- Former Vice President Joe Biden (Two bombs were addressed to Biden.)
Trump’s response to the attempted bomb attacks
In what seemed to be prepared comments, Trump denounced the attempted bombings and called on the nation to unify on Wednesday.
However, Trump later seemed to blame the media at his rally in Wisconsin by saying the media has a responsibility to set a “civil tone” and not engage in “constant negative” and “oftentimes false attacks and stories.” He reiterated that claim in a tweet Thursday morning.
Former CIA Director John Brennan, the target of one package and whose security clearance was revoked by Trump for what the president called “erratic” behavior and “increasingly frenzied commentary,” responded:
Stop blaming others. Look in the mirror. Your inflammatory rhetoric, insults, lies, & encouragement of physical violence are disgraceful. Clean up your act….try to act Presidential. The American people deserve much better. BTW, your critics will not be intimidated into silence. https://t.co/cS5qNiuU7o
— John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan) October 25, 2018
The FBI said in a statement Thursday:
“This investigation is of the highest priority for the FBI. We have committed the full strength of the FBI’s resources and, together with our partners on our Joint Terrorism Task Forces, we will continue to work to identify and arrest whoever is responsible for sending these packages,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “We ask anyone who may have information to contact the FBI. Do not hesitate to call; no piece of information is too small to help us in this investigation.”
