Editor’s note: Scroll down to the end of this post for the latest developments.
CNN is reporting that a man has been arrested in connection with the recent bomb scares:
BREAKING: Federal authorities have arrested a man in Florida in connection to the suspected explosive packages, according to multiple law enforcement sources.
— CNN’s Mark Morales, Evan Perez, Shimon Prokupecz, and Brynn Gingras report
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 26, 2018
CNN's @evanperez is reporting on air that have arrested a man in connection with the packages containing suspected explosives.
— ?andrew?kaczynski? (@KFILE) October 26, 2018
Just in: Federal authorities arrest a man in connection with explosive devices. Tune in to CNN for the latest. @EvanPerez reporting on air right now.
— Ram Ramgopal (@RamCNN) October 26, 2018
We’re relieved if authorities have in fact caught the culprit, so we’ll refrain from any Florida Man jokes at this time (but only at this time). Let’s hope he’s the only person involved in this.
NICE!!! https://t.co/rPCbdhbF0q
— RBe (@RBPundit) October 26, 2018
Very good news. https://t.co/doTkvp1hDb
— David French (@DavidAFrench) October 26, 2018
***
Update:
NBC News is reporting this as well:
DEVELOPING: A man has been taken into custody in Florida for questioning as part of the pipe bomb packages investigation, law enforcement sources tell @NBCNews – @PeteWilliamsNBC
— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 26, 2018
Recommended
DEVELOPING: A man has been taken into custody in Florida for questioning as part of the pipe bomb packages investigation, law enforcement sources tells @NBCNews – @PeteWilliamsNBC pic.twitter.com/U5G0ghedcG
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) October 26, 2018
And Fox News:
#BreakingNews: A law enforcement source confirms to Fox News that a person has been arrested in Florida in connection with suspicious packages/explosive devices.
— FOX News Radio (@foxnewsradio) October 26, 2018
Editor’s note: The headline of this post has been amended to reflect that multiple outlets are reporting this news.
***
Update:
#BREAKING: @CBSNews reporting that @Broward County, FL sheriffs made the arrest near an AutoZone in Planation, FL. @jeffpeguescbs adds that "there was some sort of confrontation when the arrest was made."
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 26, 2018
The DOJ will hold a press conference later today:
US Justice Dept. spokesperson: "We can confirm one person is in custody. We will hold a press conference at the Dept. of Justice at 2:30 p.m. ET."
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) October 26, 2018
We can confirm one person is in custody. We will hold a press conference at the Department of Justice at 2:30pm ET.
— Sarah Isgur Flores (@whignewtons) October 26, 2018
***
Update:
Zoomed in shot of van thought to belong to the mail bombing suspect looks like it has weird stuff taped all over the windows. Pretty kooky pic.twitter.com/fXoHoGC800
— Saagar Enjeti (@esaagar) October 26, 2018
Look at the insignia on this van in Plantation, FL. FBI on scene. It's being loaded into a flatbed. pic.twitter.com/wtuC8S7cDm
— nullcookies (@nullcookies) October 26, 2018
Local reporters telling MSNBC's Craig Melvin that the van has photos of Trump and presidential seal. https://t.co/PkHW96fKb3
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) October 26, 2018
Media are also reporting that the suspect is a white male in his 50s:
NBC's Tom Winter says suspect in package bombs case is a man in his 50s
— Jesse Rodriguez (@JesseRodriguez) October 26, 2018
Fox News is also reporting that the suspect has a history of making “terroristic threats.”
BREAKING UPDATE: Fox news reporting the suspect is a white male in his 50's, and a "former new Yorker". He reportedly has prior arrests for "terroristic threats".
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) October 26, 2018
.@FoxNews @RickLeventhal reporting bomb suspect is former New Yorker, white male, in 50s, prior arrests for terroristic threats…
— Byron York (@ByronYork) October 26, 2018
More:
One source tells CBS News re: the postal bombs: A law enforcement source identified the suspect in custody as a 56 year old male. Source said they were led in part to suspect through DNA evidence.
— Bo Erickson (@BoKnowsNews) October 26, 2018
***
Update:
Media are reporting the suspect’s name but we will refrain from posting it here for now until we can be sure it’s accurate.
Meanwhile, it’s pretty clear this guy is a bona fide nutjob:
And there you go. pic.twitter.com/BFx1Q5MrCo
— Brian Sack (@brian_sack) October 26, 2018
Hopefully this guy was already on someone's watch-list:https://t.co/RU7g2rbwgy pic.twitter.com/ybaeUgDxM0
— Jeryl Bier (@JerylBier) October 26, 2018
***
Update:
Law enforcement has reportedly confirmed that the suspect is 56-year-old Cesar Sayoc:
BREAKING: Two federal law enforcement officials name parcel bombs suspect as Cesar Sayoc pic.twitter.com/7E1fjBCbHA
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) October 26, 2018
FLASH: Cesar Sayoc, 56, pictured in this booking photo from an arrest, via @browardsheriff pic.twitter.com/zUSXxPlOyZ
— Myles Miller (@MylesMill) October 26, 2018
Sayoc has been arrested before:
Sayoc was arrested for grand theft in 2013 in Florida. https://t.co/1XNWhPhx4Z
— Yashar Ali ? (@yashar) October 26, 2018
JUST IN: Suspect arrested in connection with package bomb investigation IDed as 56-year-old Cesar Sayoc, several law enforcement sources tell CBS News; he appears to have a criminal history in Broward County https://t.co/gsq71KV0gB pic.twitter.com/twc03EJD2i
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) October 26, 2018
The person being named as the chief suspect in the #mailbombing campaign has a LONG criminal record going back nearly 30 years of various offenses including drug supply, domestic violence, fraud, grand theft.
— Tom Rogan (@TomRtweets) October 26, 2018
"Mail bomb" sender Cesar Sayoc priors:
91- Theft
94- Domestic Violence
03- Bomb threat
04- Illegal ID
04- Controlled substance
04- Evidence tampering
09- Foreclosure
09- operating w/out license
13- Theft
13- Battery
14- Theft
15- Probation violation
+many traffic & drug arrests— Jordan Schachtel (@JordanSchachtel) October 26, 2018
Also Trump’s fault https://t.co/z6lr2peVdk
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) October 26, 2018
***
Update:
Some tweeters think they’ve identified the Twitter account belonging to the suspect. The material posted there certainly seems to line up with what we know about Sayoc but until we can confirm that it indeed belongs to him, we will not link to it here.
***
Update:
Apparently Sayoc had worked as … a stripper?
Mail bomb suspect Cesar Sayoc was a "big muscle head" stripper, says former boss https://t.co/CByEyl0mdP
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) October 26, 2018
More from the Washington Examiner:
Event promoter Tony Valentine said he hired Cesar Sayoc in the 1990s to strip on multiple occasions in Ohio, and that Sayoc traveled the country for similar appearances.
“He really couldn’t find his niche in life and I guess he found it now,” Valentine told the Washington Examiner. “Back in the ’90s he was running around from Minnesota to the Carolinas to Florida. He was like a gypsy.”
Valentine, who vouched for Sayoc in 2014 a grand theft court case, said Sayoc was “a big muscle head” who “wanted to be a professional wrestler — that was his dream.”
Welp.
***
Update:
Seminole Tribe spox Gary Bitner: “There’s no record of him being a member of the Tribe. He’s not a member of the Seminole Tribe, has never been a member of the Seminole Tribe.“
Also, he likely did not work for the Tribe pic.twitter.com/Yfs74LqnDA
— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) October 26, 2018
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