The letter bombs are potentially dangerous, not a 'hoax,' and maybe intended not to explode

The FBI has confirmed that at least some of the 10 "potentially destructive devices" sent this week to prominent critics of President Trump were delivered through the U.S. Postal System, and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen confirmed to Fox News on Thursday night that some of the packages originated in Florida. Several news organizations have reported that several of the packages passed through a postal facility in Opa-locka, in Miami-Dade County. The Miami-Dade Police Department said its bomb squad is helping federal partners at the USPS Opa-locka facility "as a precautionary measure."

But since none of the 10 explosive devices actually detonated while being handled in the postal facilities, "investigators now suspect that either a would-be bomb maker is inept or the packages were intended to spread fear rather than inflict injury or death," the Los Angeles Times reports, citing two people with knowledge of the investigation. "We are treating it as suspected explosive devices," New York Police Commissioner James O'Neill told reporters on Thursday. "This is something that should be taken seriously. As far as a hoax device, we're not treating it that way."

The bombs seized Wednesday were packed with what's believed to be pyrotechnic powder and broken glass, The Associated Press reports, based on X-rays seen by law enforcement officials. Authorities are warning that there could be other pipe bombs in the mail, and they could be lethal. Retired ATF explosives investigator Anthony May tells CNN that based on X-rays, he hasn't seen "enough means to initiate this device, whether by design, whether by accident," and if "it was designed that way, then the individual's motivation was simply to spread fear, instill fear."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up