Suspicious packages sent to Hillary Clinton, Obama, CNN New York offices

NEW YORK, Oct 24 (APP):Suspicious packages were sent to the former US Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, former President Barack Obama and CNN’s offices in New York, as law enforcement officials on Wednesday monitored other locations for potential threats, according to American media reports.
The Secret Service said Wednesday that packages addressed to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were intercepted by law enforcement officials.
Also Wednesday, a police bomb squad was sent to CNN’s offices in New York City and the newsroom was evacuated because of a suspicious package. New York Police Department (NYPD) issued a shelter-in-place alert telling people along the closed area to remain inside.
According to CNN, the package was addressed to former CIA director John Brennan, who served the Obama administration. Brennan often contributes to CNN but doesn’t work for the company. CNN is a frequent target of Trump, who routinely calls the news media the “enemy of the people” and belittles critical coverage as “fake news”.
Administration officials said they know of no threatening packages sent to the White House. They also note that packages to the White House have to go through an off-site processing center, so a suspicious package would not reach the building.
The package addressed to Mrs. Clinton was sent to her home in Westchester County, New York, and discovered late Tuesday night. The package sent to former President Obama was sent to Washington and intercepted Wednesday morning.
“The FBI is working in coordination with our law enforcement partners to investigate the suspicious packages,” spokeswoman Lauren Hagee said of the Obama and Clinton incidents.
A New York City police officer was stationed outside the Manhattan building that houses George Soros Open Society Foundation, but there was no evacuation there Wednesday morning.
Property managers at the New York City office building that houses the Clinton Foundation warned tenants about the suspicious package mailed to the Clinton home and said the office building was cleared by the New York Police Department of any suspicious activity or devices.
The White House on Wednesday condemned the attempted attacks, according to the reports.
“These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement. “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.”
A U.S. official told The Associated Press, an American news agency, that investigators believe the explosive sent to Clinton is linked to one found Monday at the Bedford, New York, home of liberal billionaire George Soros. The official wasn’t authorized to speak publicly about the investigation, according to the AP.
The Secret Service said it has launched a criminal investigation into the incidents.
“The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such,” the Secret Service said in a statement. “The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them.”
Nick Merrill, a spokesman for Hillary Clinton, tweeted Wednesday that no suspicious package made it to her home. Clinton was campaigning for Democrats in Florida and wasn’t at the family’s suburban New York residence when a suspicious package addressed to her was seized by the Secret Service.