Cesar Sayoc, 56, a former stripper and professional wrestler once charged with threatening to bomb an electric company for trying to shut off his lights, was taken into custody outside an auto parts store in Plantation, Florida, near Miami.
PLANTATION, Fla. – A suspect of having sent at least 14 bombs to prominent critics of U.S. President Donald Trump in the run-up to elections next month was arrested on Friday in Florida and charged with five federal felonies.
Cesar Sayoc, 56, a former stripper and professional wrestler once charged with threatening to bomb an electric company for trying to shut off his lights, was taken into custody outside an auto parts store in Plantation, Florida, near Miami.
Sayoc’s arrest followed an intense four-day manhunt sparked by bombs addressed to high-profile Democrats and critics of Trump including former U.S. President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whom Trump defeated in the 2016 presidential race.
Authorities also seized a white van belonging to Sayoc, the windows of which were plastered with pro-Trump stickers, the slogan “CNN SUCKS” and images of Democratic politicians with red cross-hairs over their faces.
Fingerprint and DNA evidence was used to identify the suspect, but Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray cautioned that the arrest did not necessarily end the threat.
“There may be other packages in transit now and other packages on the way,” Wray said.
One federal law enforcement source told media that authorities were investigating whether other individuals were involved and did not rule out more arrests.
The first of the bombs surfaced on Monday at the Westchester County, New York, home of billionaire Democratic donor George Soros. Four packages turned up on Friday, the 14th addressed to another wealthy contributor to the Democratic Party and liberal causes, Tom Steyer. That parcel was found at a post office outside San Francisco.
All these packages consisted of explosive material packed in a plastic pipe and wired to a small clock and a battery, Wray said. He said investigators had yet to determine whether the bombs were actually “functional,” but the devices could be dangerous “if subjected to the right combination of heat or shock or friction.”
All were sent through the U.S. Postal Service system and intercepted before reaching their intended targets without exploding. No one has been hurt.
Bomb experts have said that based on the basic construction of the devices, they appeared more likely designed to sow fear than to kill.
The bombs have heightened tensions during what was already a highly contentious campaign season ahead of the Nov. 6 elections in which Democrats are battling to seize control of Congress now held by Trump’s Republican Party.
According to CNN, Sayoc told investigators the bombs would have done no injury and that he would not have wanted anyone hurt. Wray declined to say whether the suspect was cooperating with authorities after his arrest.