Actor Robert De Niro is the latest person to be sent an explosive device like those sent earlier this week to Hillary Clinton, former President Barack Obama and former CIA Director John Brennan at CNN.
All of those to receive the mail bombs so far are prominent critics of President Donald Trump, but no motive is yet known for the sending of the explosives and no suspects have been identified.
In addition to the package sent to De Niro in New York City, a second device addressed to Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters of California was found in Los Angeles on Wednesday night. The first one addressed to Waters was intercepted earlier Wednesday by Capital Police in Washington, D.C.
The package to Waters is similar to the ones sent to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
A similar-looking package may also have been sent to former Vice President Joe Biden, sources told ABC News. The package possibly sent to Biden is considered the eighth possible, packaged explosive in the domestic terrorism investigation.
The device addressed to De Niro was discovered early Thursday morning in New York’s Tribeca neighborhood, ABC News confirmed. New York police removed the device in a bomb-containment vehicle.
Law enforcement officials told ABC News the contents of at least five of the packages sent this week resembled pipe bombs intended to maim or kill. The packages, bubble-wrap-lined manila envelopes with computer-printed labels, were sent to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia, for further analysis.
Several of the packages listed as a return address that of Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., but her name was misspelled and the Democratic congresswoman, a former chairperson of the Democratic National Committee, is not considered to be involved in the sending of the devices.
The series of mailed explosives began Monday with the discovery of a pipe bomb in the home mailbox of billionaire George Soros, a Democratic supporter often criticized by right-wing groups.
“The FBI advises the public to remain vigilant and not touch, move or handle any suspicious or unknown packages,” the FBI said in a statement Wednesday evening. “We ask anyone who may have information to contact the FBI.”
The day after the package to Soros was discovered at his home north of New York City, an explosive device addressed to Hillary Clinton at her home in a community not far from Soros’ was intercepted Tuesday night by the Secret Service at a screening facility. It didn’t reach her home.
All packages were intercepted before reaching their intended targets. It’s not entirely clear whether the incidents are linked, but authorities said they feared other bombs may have been sent.
Bryan Paarmann, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division and Joint Terrorism Task Force in New York City, said at a press conference on Wednesday that the mailings appear to be political in nature.
“The utilization of violence in order to further one’s own political agenda is unacceptable to us,” Paarmann said. “We will turn over every rock, we will turn every corner and we will talk to everybody that we have to in order to mitigate this threat.”
President Donald Trump on Wednesday night called for “peace and harmony” from a rally in Mosinee, Wisconsin, but added: “The media has a responsibility to set a civil tone and to stop the endless hostility and constant negative and oftentimes false attacks in stories.”
Also on Wednesday, from the White House, Trump said his administration is “extremely angry” about the incidents, adding that “the full weight of our government is being deployed to conduct this investigation and bring those responsible for these despicable acts to justice.”
Democratic leaders noted that most of the people targeted on Tuesday had been ridiculed by Trump.
“We listened with great interest to the president’s remarks this afternoon. We all take an oath to support and defend the Constitution and protect the American people, and that is our first responsibility. However, President Trump’s words ring hollow until he reverses his statements that condone acts of violence,” Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the House minority leader, and Sen. Chuck, the Senate minority leader, said in a joint statement released Wednesday afternoon. “Time and time again, the president has condoned physical violence and divided Americans with his words and his actions: expressing support for the Congressman who body-slammed a reporter, the neo-Nazis who killed a young woman in Charlottesville, his supporters at rallies who get violent with protesters, dictators around the world who murder their own citizens, and referring to the free press as the enemy of the people.”
Hillary Clinton, speaking at a campaign event in Florida, said, “We are fine, thanks to the men and women of the Secret Service who intercepted the package addressed to us long before it reached our home.”
“But it is a troubling time, isn’t it?” Clinton added. “And it’s a time of deep divisions and we have to do everything we can to bring our country together.”
Security was tight at the event in Coral Gables where she spoke. Her daughter tweeted thanks to the Secret Service for not letting the package reach her mother.
“Every day, I am grateful to the women and men of the United States Secret Service,” Chelsea Clinton wrote. “Thank you.”
Her father also tweeted about it.
ABC News has confirmed the following:
— A pipe bomb was found Monday afternoon in the home mailbox of Soros in Westchester County north of New York City.
— A package addressed to Hillary Clinton containing an explosive was intercepted Tuesday night by the Secret Service at a screening facility. It never reached her home, where Bill Clinton was at the time.
— A package containing an explosive and suspicious powder was found Wednesday morning in the mailroom of the Time Warner Center in Manhattan where CNN is located. It was addressed to John Brennan, former director of the CIA. New York City police officers were present when it was found.
— The package addressed to Holder did not reach its intended destination and was returned to Wasserman Schultz’s address in Florida, the FBI said.
— The devices found in New York, Washington and Florida were all similarly constructed, using digital clocks as a switch, a powder charge and a battery power source, law enforcement sources told ABC News. They were built using PVC pipe and contained materials likely intended to do additional harm.
This is a breaking story. More updates on the way. ABC News’ Josh Margolin, Bill Hutchinson, Aaron Katersky, Meghan Keneally, Jack Date, Tara Palmeri, Mike Levine, Pierre Thomas and Julia Jacobo all contributed.
