Potential explosive devices were found in packages addressed to former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama, the Secret Service confirmed in a statement on Wednesday.
In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, the Secret Service said it had “intercepted two suspicious packages addressed to Secret Service protectees.
“Late on October 23, 2018, the Secret Service recovered a single package addressed to Former First Lady Hillary Clinton in Westchester County, New York. Early this morning, October 24, 2018, a second package addressed to Former President Barack Obama was intercepted by Secret Service personnel in Washington, D.C.,” the statement said. “The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such. The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them. The Secret Service has initiated a full scope criminal investigation that will leverage all available federal, state, and local resources to determine the source of the packages and identify those responsible.”
A law enforcement official who was briefed on the investigation told The New York Times that one device was found on Wednesday morning by a technician who screens mail at Hillary Clinton’s office. A similar device was sent to Obama’s office.
Another official told the Times that the devices were similar to one found on Monday at the New York suburb home of billionaire Democrat philanthropist George Soros, who was not home at the time. That device was “proactively detonated” by bomb squad technicians, according to another law enforcement official who was also briefed on the investigation.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a statement condemning the attacks.
“We condemn the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures,” she said. “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.”
In another incident on Wednesday morning, the NYPD responded to a suspicious device discovered in New York City’s Time Warner Center, where CNN is based, the outlet reported, citing a law enforcement source. The device, which was reportedly made from a pipe and wires, was discovered in the mailroom of Time Warner Center, according to CNN. Law enforcement authorities are treating the device as a real explosive, CNN said. It’s unclear if the incidents are related.
Earlier reports on Wednesday said that an explosive device was found in a “suspicious package” near Hillary and Bill Clinton‘s home in Chappaqua, New York.
Nick Merrill, Hillary Clinton’s former campaign press secretary and current communications adviser, tweeted that those reports were “incorrect.”
“Nothing got to any home,” he said in response to an NBC News tweet.
