Published :
Updated :
For all latest news, follow The Financial Express Google News channel.
US authorities have intercepted a suspicious package containing a pipe bomb intended for the White House.
Similar packages were mailed to former President Barack Obama and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton earlier this week.
The package was addressed to the White House was intercepted at Joint Base Bolling in Washington, DC, a law enforcement official said Wednesday, reports CNN.
The official informed that it was similar to the ones sent to the homes of Obama, Clinton and billionaire investor and major Democratic donor George Soros.
The devices appear to be rudimentary but functional, the official said. The White House-addressed device also contained projectiles.
The New York Police Department responded to a suspicious device discovered on Wednesday morning in the Time Warner Centre in New York City, where CNN has a bureau, a law enforcement source said.
It was not immediately clear who the package was addressed to, but CNN evacuated its newsroom as a precaution.
Neither Obama nor Clinton received the packages or were at risk of receiving them, the Secret Service said.
They were discovered during "routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such," the agency said in a statement.
'Strong suspicion' of link
"There is a strong suspicion" the two packages intended for Obama and Clinton are connected to the package targeting Soros, another law enforcement source said.
The package intended for Obama was intercepted in Washington, DC, and the one intended for Clinton was addressed to her in Westchester County, New York, on Tuesday.
The FBI said the package intended for Clinton was found in the vicinity of her residence in Chappaqua, New York, but offered no additional comment, citing the ongoing investigation.
Representatives for the Clintons referred press inquiries to the Secret Service, and a spokeswoman for Obama did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The White House said it condemned the "attempted violent attacks."
"We condemn the attempted violent attacks recently made against Obama, Clinton, Hillary and other public figures," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.
"These terrorising acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. The United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate actions to protect anyone threatened by these cowards."
New York device investigated
The device sent to Time Warner Centre was constructed with a pipe and wires, according to an NYPD source. Law enforcement authorities are treating the device as a real explosive.
The device was discovered in the building's mailroom, the source said.
The building's evacuation included offices for WarnerMedia and other Turner-owned properties like TNT, as well as a shopping mall and a Whole Foods grocery store located in the basement level.