Hunt for Mail Bomb Source Leads to Opa-locka

Investigators believe devices passed through Florida postal facility
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 26, 2018 2:06 AM CDT
Updated Oct 26, 2018 6:37 AM CDT
Hunt for Mail Bomb Source Leads to Florida Facility
A member of the Miami-Dade County Bomb Squad is shown outside a postal facility, Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018, in Opa-Locka, Fla.   (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

A huge postal facility in south Florida was evacuated Thursday night as the search for the person who sent pipe bombs to leading Democrats and other critics of President Trump continued. Miami-Dade County police officers, K-9 units, and federal agents could be seen entering the Opa-locka mail sorting and distribution facility, WPTV reports. The US Postal Service directed law enforcement to the facility after discovering some of the packages passed through the facility, but since Opa-locka handles hundreds of thousands of packages from Florida and further afield daily, the source of the packages remains unclear, reports the Miami Herald.

Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen told Fox News that the packages "originated, some of them, from Florida." She added: "I am confident that this person or people will be brought to justice." The number of packages intercepted rose to at least 10 Thursday when pipe bombs sent to Robert De Niro and Joe Biden were found, and authorities have warned that there could be more out there. None of the packages exploded, and although they contained batteries and timers, authorities say they would not have blown up when opened. Law enforcement officials tell the AP that it's unclear whether they were poorly designed or were never intended to explode. (Conspiracy theorists claim the devices are a "false flag" attack to discredit right-wingers ahead of the midterm elections.)

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