Donald Trump blames ‘media hostility’ for ‘MAGA bomber’ pipe bombs after explosives sent to CNN, the Clintons and six others

The explosives were sent to Bill and Hillary Clinton's upstate New York home, the Obamas and CNN's Time Warner offices amongst others yesterday.

None of the deadly devices – deemed "rudimentary but viable" – exploded and the FBI has launched an investigation to find the sender.

At a rally in Wisconsin last night, Trump vowed to catch the perpetrator but implored political figures to stop treating opponents as "being morally defective" and warned the media to end the "false attacks and stories".

"The media also has a responsibly to set a civil tone and to stop the endless hostility and constant negative and oftentimes false attacks and stories," Trump said.

CNN, one of the recipients of a pipe bomb yesterday, has been a frequent target of Trump's "fake news" claims in the past.


What we know so far:

  • At least eight suspicious parcels were intercepted before reaching any intended recipients
  • FBI discovered mail bombs addressed to Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, former CIA director John Brennan and former Attorney General Eric Holder
  • They confirmed two additional suspicious packages, both addressed to Rep. Maxine Waters, have also been found
  • Security officials have revealed they were packed with shards of glass
  • The pipe bomb sent to CNN appears to include an Isis parody flag
  • Far-right terrorists are feared to be behind the pipe bombs sent to Donald Trump’s critics
  • Former CIA Director John Brennan says he may have been targeted because he's a strong Trump administration critic
  • President Trump said "acts or threats of political violence have no place in the United States"

President of CNN Worldwide Jeff Zucker claimed the President and the White House have failed to comprehend that "their words matter".

"The president, and especially the White House press secretary, should understand their words matter. Thus far, they have shown no comprehension of that," he said.

His comments came after CNN appeared to be omitted from a post shared by White House press secretary condemning the pipe bombs.

A post shared by Sanders on Twitter read: "We condemn the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton and other public figures."

In a follow up tweet, Sanders added: "Our condemnation of these dispicable acts certainly includes threats made to CNN as well as current or former public servants. "

Previously, chilling X-rays reveal inside the "MAGA" pipe bombs sent to the Clintons and Obamas that were wrapped in a joke ISIS flag featuring sex toys.

X-ray images have since emerged on ABC News, providing a more detailed look at the explosive devices.

Made from PVC tubing attached to a digital clock, they were reportedly packed with sulfur as explosives and shards of glass as shrapnel.

They also included a battery as well as wiring to spark the explosion.




An image purportedly showing the device sent to the CNN building later surfaced online and appears to have a parody ISIS flag on it.

The picture shows a black and silver cylinder with wires poking out from underneath what looks like black taping.

A mock flag on it appears to be one used on right-wing corners of the internet as a meme since 2014.

It replaces Arabic characters with silhouettes of three women, sex toys and the words “Get ‘Er Done” — the catchphrase of American stand-up comic Larry the Cable Guy.


The Secret Service says the package to the Clintons was identified during routine mail screening procedures at their home early yesterday morning.

Hillary Clinton was campaigning for the Democrats in Florida when the "functional explosive device" arrived.

But her husband Bill was at home in Chappaqua, New York, at the time.

A similar device was also sent to the Washington DC home of Barack Obama.

Police later found two more suspicious packages addressed to Democrat Maxine Waters.

They were also reportedly looking into a package that may have been sent to former vice president Joe Biden but was misaddressed.

And further packages are said to have been sent to New York Governor Cuomo and the Florida office of ex-DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

The Secret Service says neither Clinton nor Obama received the packages, and neither was at risk of receiving them because of screening procedures.



It was earlier reported that a similar package was sent to the White House but later turned out not to be suspicious.

Speaking at a press conference in Florida, Hillary Clinton said: "We are fine thanks to the men and women of the Secret Service who intercepted the package addressed to us long before it made its way to our home. It is a troubling time, isn't it?"

Condemning the attempted attacks, Vice President Mike Pence tweeted: "These cowardly actions are despicable & have no place in this Country. Grateful for swift response of @SecretService, @FBI & local law enforcement. Those responsible will be brought to justice."

The president backed up his VP's sentiments retweeting his response adding: "I agree wholeheartedly!"

Some have suggested the president’s fiery rhetoric could be partially to blame for the attempted attacks.

The hashtag #MAGAbomber has been trending on Twitter – a nod to Trump’s campaign slogan “Make America Great Again”.

All of those targeted by the pipe bomber have at some point been blasted by the American leader.

CNN was also forced to evacuated its office in the Time Warner centre in New York City during a live broadcast.

The network had to interrupt a segment on the devices sent to Obama and the Clintons after they also discovered pipe bomb in their mail.

The device sent to CNN was reportedly addressed to former CIA director John Brennan who regularly appears on the network.

CNN's Evan Perez described the mailed suspicious packages as apparently "rudimentary but functional" and contained what appeared to be a metal pipe with wires protruding from it.

In a statement, the Secret Service said it "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".

Down south in Florida the offices of the former Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz were also evacuated over a suspicious package.

Police in city of Sunrise said they responded to the address of the Democrat's office for Florida's 23rd congressional district.

The news comes a day after a similar device was sent to billionaire George Soros' home.

BLAST WARNING What is a pipe bomb?

The bombs are popular among terrorist organisations around the world because they are relatively easy to make.

The containment provided by the pipe means that simple low explosives can be used to produce a relatively large explosion due to the pressure provided by the pipe.

The pipe itself can also create potentially lethal shrapnel as it shatters in the blast.

Soros, a philanthropist who made his money through financial speculation, has become a frequent target for criticism by American right-wing groups due to his support for liberal causes.

He was also a large donor to the Democrats during the presidential campaigns of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

Both the Clintons and Soroses live wealthy Westchester county.

An official told the Associated Press investigators believe the explosives are linked to a device found at the liberal billionaire's compound.

The device sent to Soros' home was made from a length of pipe about six inches long filled with explosive powder, and it was “proactively detonated” by bomb squad technicians, according to the New York Times.


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