News

US mail bomb suspect indicted on 30 counts

Published

6 years ago

November 9, 2018

US prosecutors in New York on Friday indicted the Florida man accused of sending pipe bombs to critics of Donald Trump with crimes that carry a maximum sentence of life in prison .
The 56 – year – old , who lived in a van plastered with pro -Trump and anti -Democrat stickers before his October 26 arrest , was previously hit with a five -count complaint in the sunshine state .

The registered Republican , who has a criminal history and reported past as a stripper , was subsequently flown to New York and appeared in a Manhattan court earlier this week , before the 30 – count indictment was unveiled .

Sayoc now stands accused of mailing 16 explosive devices , despite law enforcement officials previously alleging that he sent 11 critics of the US president a total of 13 different devices .

The charges include five counts of use of a weapon of mass destruction for each pipe bomb mailed to and intercepted in the New York area , targeting billionaire liberal donor George Soros , former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton , actor Robert de Niro , former CIA director John Brennan and former intelligence chief James Clapper .

Sayoc is charged five times with interstate transportation and receipt of explosives and five times with threatening interstate communications .

Allegedly included with the bombs were a print- out or photograph of his intended victim marked with a red X .

Sayoc was also charged five times with illegal mailing of explosives , five times with use of explosives to commit a felony and five times with use of a destructive device in furtherance of a crime of violence .

Outside the New York area , Sayoc is also accused of sending other pipe bombs to former president Barack Obama , former vice president Joe Biden and others .

The attempted bombings fanned tensions across the United States ahead of this week ’ s midterm elections, which saw Trump retain control of the Senate but the Democrats win the majority in the lower House of Representatives .

AFP .