Pipe bombs sent to Democratic Trump critics: What we know and don't know

The authorities believe that the first package arrived Monday afternoon at the suburban New York home of George Soros, the billionaire philanthropist and Democratic donor

Law enforcement authorities from New York to Los Angeles this week have intercepted at least 10 crudely built pipe bombs addressed to outspoken critics of President Trump who have drawn the ire of right-wing groups, including former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

After a wave of packages was discovered on Wednesday, law enforcement officials across the United States undertook a sweeping search for the person or persons who sent the devices. That search is now turning its focus to southern Florida, where investigators believe a number of the explosive devices may have been mailed from, according to two people briefed on the matter.

On Thursday morning, three more envelopes were found addressed to former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and the actor Robert De Niro. Here’s what we know and don’t know about the devices.

The first package went to George Soros

The authorities believe that the first package arrived Monday afternoon at the suburban New York home of George Soros, the billionaire philanthropist, Democratic donor and the subject of far-right conspiracy theories.

Since then, the F.B.I. has discovered similar devices sent to other prominent Democrats. A device meant for Mrs. Clinton, and addressed to her home in Westchester County, N.Y., was found Tuesday night during a Secret Service screening of her mail.

Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Soros have been vilified on the right, as have others whose names have appeared on packages. They include Mr. Biden and Representative Maxine Waters of California, as well as Mr. De Niro.

None of the bombs have exploded

The packages have shared the same traits: a manila envelope containing a 1-inch-by-6-inch length of PVC pipe filled with powder believed to be a pyrotechnic substance and packed with shrapnel. The pipes were also equipped with a small battery, a digital clock as a timer and an initiator, which causes the bomb to explode, a law enforcement official said.

None of the devices have detonated, leading some officials to question whether they were designed not to explode or if they were even capable of doing so. Some bomb technicians who reviewed photos of the device that circulated on social media on Wednesday suggested that it resembled the kind of fake device often portrayed on television and in movies.

But Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York said on Thursday that the devices were functional explosives.

“They are bombs capable of detonation. That has been established,” Mr. Cuomo told CNN. “Was that purposeful or incidental? Was it a poorly constructed bomb?”

Some came in the mail. Others were hand-delivered.

The packages meant for Mr. Biden and Ms. Waters were intercepted at mail facilities before they were delivered. However, investigators believe the package for Mr. Soros was hand-delivered to the mailbox at his home in Westchester County.

A package for John O. Brennan, a former C.I.A. director and vocal critic of Mr. Trump, was delivered Wednesday by a courier to CNN’s offices in Midtown Manhattan. Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Thursday that it was not immediately known whether the package for Mr. De Niro was delivered by a postal employee or a courier to his production company in Lower Manhattan.

Another package that traveled through the postal system arrived on Wednesday at the office in Sunrise, Fla., of Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democratic congresswoman and a former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. That was because her name was printed as the return address for all the packages. Her office received one intended for Eric H. Holder Jr., who served as Mr. Obama’s attorney general, that was apparently incorrectly addressed and rerouted back to her office.

Ms. Wasserman Schultz has been a frequent target of the right and Mr. Trump, who has called her a “terrible person,” “crazy” and a “highly neurotic woman.”

There were six stamps, and misspellings
 

The bubble-padded manila envelopes had six first-class stamps, and the mailing labels were printed by computer.

But the labels also included misspelled words. Ms. Wasserman Schultz’s last name lacked an “h” in Schultz. Her address in Florida was spelled “Florids.” Mr. Brennan’s name was missing an “n.”

The sender’s whereabouts is not known

At least four devices have been recovered in the New York area: two in Westchester County and another two in Manhattan. Because the packages for Mr. Soros and Mr. Brennan were delivered by a courier, Mr. de Blasio said on Thursday that it was possible that the sender had connections to the area.

“We certainly don’t know whether they are here or elsewhere in the country” Mr. de Blasio said on CNN. “There is somebody by definition who is a serial bomber, yes — and a terrorist.”