Suspicious packages sent to Robert De Niro and Joe Biden

A SUSPICIOUS package has been found at a New York restaurant belonging to actor Robert De Niro and another addressed to former US Vice President Joe Biden was intercepted in Delaware.

The package sent to De Niro was believed to have been addressed to the Hollywood actor and delivered to the Tribeca Grill B on Greenwich Street.

De Niro, 75, is an outspoken critic of US President Donald Trump, and has clashed with him several times — once branding him a “national disaster”.

CNN is reporting the package had similar markings to the pipe bombs that were packed with shards of glass sent yesterday.

The package has reignited fear in New York that yesterday’s bomb scare drama was not an isolated event.

The most highly-trained experts in the world are investigating today’s suspicious package in #TriBeCa — & the item is now en route to a secure facility in the #Bronx. Together with our partners @NewYorkFBI, @ATFNewYork, @nyspolice & more, @NYPDCT WILL find whoever is responsible. https://t.co/4WcCwz4dME
— Commissioner O'Neill (@NYPDONeill) October 25, 2018

The New York City police bomb squad has removed the package. It is now being taken to a “secure location in the Bronx”, police said.

An employee of TriBeCa Productions, a television and film production company co-founded by the Hollywood actoir, alerted police to the package around 5am local time, AFP reported.

Officers would be joined by colleagues from the FBI and ATF at the restaurant, meaning traffic would be affected for some time while the investigators worked.

It comes after 24 hours of chaos when up to seven suspicious parcels - some containing crudely built pipe bombs - were intercepted before reaching their targets, who included former US President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Obama’s attorney-general Eric Holder.

Former CIA Director John Brennan, prominent Democratic Party donor George Soros and California Congresswoman Maxine Waters, another fierce critic of President Donald Trump, were also sent bombs in the post.

All of the targets are frequently criticised by right-wing activists.

De Niro has clashed with Mr Trump several times in the past, both during the presidential campaign and afterwards.

Before the 2016 election the actor slammed Mr Trump as “blatantly stupid,” “totally nuts” and an “idiot.”

Meanwhile Mr Trump has blamed the media for provoking anger in Americans - but did not directly references the bombs,

A very big part of the Anger we see today in our society is caused by the purposely false and inaccurate reporting of the Mainstream Media that I refer to as Fake News. It has gotten so bad and hateful that it is beyond description. Mainstream Media must clean up its act, FAST!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 25, 2018

Hours earlier, the president took a softer tone at a rally in Wisconsin Wednesday night.

Let’s get along,” he said. “By the way, do you see how nice I’m behaving tonight? Have you ever seen this?”

A law enforcement source told The Associated Press that the device found Thursday appeared to be linked to the others sent to Democratic figures and CNN’s New York City hub.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo yesterday a device had been sent to his office in Manhattan, but it was unrelated to the mail bombs.

“We would not be at all surprised if more devices show up,” said Mr Cuomo, a Democrat, at a media briefing on Wednesday afternoon local time. “There is a pattern.”

FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement yesterday his agency would lead a Joint Terrorism Task Force of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to “continue to work to identity and arrest whosoever is responsible for sending these packages”.

More to come.

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