FBI arrests man in Florida 'in connection with' suspicious packages

First respondents on scene in Manhattan.
(Image credit: KENA BETANCUR/AFP/Getty Images)

"One person is in custody" after a wave of suspicious packages were sent to prominent lawmakers and Democratic donors, a Department of Justice spokeswoman said Friday. A 56-year-old man with a criminal history was arrested in south Florida, partly due to DNA evidence, law enforcement sources told CBS News.

The news comes after a New York Times report suggested authorities were centering their investigation in Florida. The packages did list the return address as Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz's (D-Fla.) Florida office, reports the Times. But U.S. Postal Service data is reportedly what indicated the bombs were likely mailed from the state.

A wave of packages to sent former government officials and people who have publicly clashed with Trump began Monday when a package containing a pipe bomb arrived at the property of liberal philanthropist George Soros. Authorities have since identified 12 connected packages, with the two most recent intercepted Friday morning in Florida and New York City.

Subscribe to The Week

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

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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
Explore More

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.