An explosive device was found in the home mailbox of billionaire George Soros, prompting the FBI to launch an investigation into who may want to harm the philanthropist and political activist, officials said.
The explosive device was discovered about 3:45 p.m. Monday by an employee at Soros’ home in Katonah, New York, a suburb of New York City, according to the Bedford Police Department, who responded to the residence.
“An employee of the residence opened the package, revealing what appeared to be an explosive device,” Bedford police said in a statement.
The employee placed the suspicious package in a wooded area and called the police, officials said.
A police bomb squad responded and detonated the device, officials said.
The 88-year-old Soros was not home at the time when the device was discovered, and no one was injured in the incident.
Bedford police said the investigation was turned over to the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.
“We are conducting an investigation at and around a residence in Bedford, New York. There is no threat to public safety, and we have no further comment at this time,” the FBI New York office tweeted Monday afternoon.
It was not immediately clear if a note was found with the device, or if it was sent to Soros’ home in the mail or planted there by a would-be attacker.
Soros has become a favorite target of right-wing groups due to his support of progressive causes and Democratic candidates, but authorities have not commented on whether any specific group is being investigated.
Soros, a Hungarian immigrant who lived through the Nazi occupation of World War II, launched his own hedge fund in 1970 and went on to become one of the most successful investors in U.S. history.
