Packages to Biden, De Niro seized, similar to earlier bombs

WASHINGTON (AP):

The mail-bomb scare in the United States widened yesterday as law enforcement officials seized three more suspicious packages - two addressed to former Vice President Joe Biden and one to actor Robert De Niro - and said they were similar to crude pipe bombs sent to former President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and CNN.

None of the devices exploded, and no one was injured. But the packages, sent to prominent Democrats critical of President Donald Trump, heightened nationwide tensions and fears two weeks before major congressional midterm elections.

Even as everyone condemned the unknown sender and Trump decried political violence, blame flew for the corrosive nature of America's political conversation.

"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," Trump said in a morning tweet. "It has gotten so bad and hateful that it is beyond description. Mainstream Media must clean up its act, FAST!"

Former CIA Director John Brennan, the target of one package sent to CNN, fired back.

"Stop blaming others. Look in the mirror," Brennan tweeted. "Your inflammatory rhetoric, insults, lies, and encouragement of physical violence are disgraceful. Clean up your act ... try to act Presidential."

The politics belied the life-and-death nature of the growing list of bombing targets in New York, Delaware, Washington, DC, Florida and California.

The FBI said Thursday that the packages sent to De Niro and Biden were similar to those discovered earlier.

De Niro dropped an expletive insult at Trump at this year's Tony Awards and also apologised to Canadians for the "idiotic behaviour of my president".

Biden has also criticised Trump as recently as last week, saying the president may not "know what he's doing" and coddles dictators.

Recovery of the packages to Biden and De Niro came after others were received by prominent Democrats and CNN.

The first crude bomb to be discovered had been delivered Monday to the suburban New York compound of George Soros, a liberal billionaire and major contributor to Democratic causes. Soros has called Trump's presidency "dangerous".