Florida man Cesar Sayoc faces up to five decades in prison after his arrest overnight in connection with a series of pipe bombs which were sent in the mail to key Democrat figures and critics of Donald Trump‘s administration.
FBI Director Chris Wray says that a fingerprint on a package sent to congresswoman Maxine Waters matched that of Sayoc; authorities then tracked his location with GPS data from his phone, and he was taken into custody a short time later.
He faces charges including interstate transportation of an explosive, illegal mailing of explosives, threats against former Presidents and certain other persons, threatening interstate communications, and assaulting federal officers.
Saroc, an outspoken Trump supporter, has posted photos of himself wearing Make America Great Again gear on social media, as well as conspiracy theories about Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, both of whom were sent pipe bombs.
The Florida man has also made social media posts suggesting that he is part of the local Seminole tribe, but they have since made a statement to the media saying that they can find no evidence of any affiliation with him.
According to CNN reports, Saroc was initially “somewhat cooperative” with police, telling them that “the pipe bombs wouldn’t have hurt anyone and that he didn’t want to hurt anyone”, but he has since stopped answering questions.
Saroc quit his job as a pizza delivery driver several months ago, and the manager of the restaurant where he worked in Ford Lauderdale described him as “really off”, saying he would scare other employees with racist comments and texts.
Authorities have said that, even though the suspect is in custody, he may have sent other packages that could still be in the mail, and while none of the bombs so far have detonated, they are real devices, and people should remain vigilant.
US Attorney Jeff Sessions said he doesn’t know why Saroc targeted high-profile Democrat figures, but said:
“Let this be a lesson to anyone, regardless of their political beliefs, that we will bring the full force of law who attempts to use threats, intimidation and outright violence to further an agenda. We will find you. We will prosecute you.”
The suspect has an extensive criminal past, including nearly dozen arrests in Florida, including one for a bomb threat in 2002, when he told a Florida utility company that he would blow up their building and harm an employee if his lights were shut off.
Former congressional press secretary Rochelle Ritchie says that Saroc is the same person who made death threats against her after an appearance on Fox News, but that Twitter dismissed them at the time, finding there was no violation of its terms.
https://twitter.com/RochelleRitchie/status/1055867631461416962
