NBC News reports 56-year-old Cesar Sayoc Jr., a Florida resident, is the suspect arrested in Florida in connection with the wave of pipe bomb packages.

NBC News said he will face charges in connection with pipe bomb packages that were mailed across the US.

DNA evidence was involved in the identification and arrest of Sayoc, NBC News reports.

The Associated Press reports Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said authorities planned to announce more information at a press conference.

Earlier Friday, authorities said suspicious packages addressed to New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and former National Intelligence Director James Clapper -- both similar to those containing pipe bombs sent to other prominent critics of President Donald Trump -- had been intercepted.

Twelve such discoveries have been made so far. Officials have been working to find a culprit and possible motive while it's unclear if new packages were being sent or simply surfacing after a period in mail system. </s> Federal authorities took a man into custody Friday in connection with the 12 possible package bombs mailed to high-profile Democrats.

The Associated Press, citing law enforcement sources, identified the man as Cesar Alteri Sayoc Jr., 56.

On Friday, officials said two additional packages were found — one recovered in Florida that was addressed to Democratic Sen. Cory Booker and one in a Manhattan post office addressed to former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. Since Tuesday, devices have been intercepted addressed to Clinton, Obama, Biden, billionaire George Soros, the actor Robert De Niro, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, former Attorney General Eric Holder and former CIA director John Brennan.

Justice Department public affairs director Sarah Isgur Flores confirmed a person was taken into custody Friday. “We can confirm one person is in custody,” she wrote on Twitter.

Here’s what to know about the suspect behind the mailed package bombs.

Cesar Sayoc is a 56-year-old man who was detained Friday in Plantation, Florida

Records for Sayoc show he is associated with an address in Aventura, Florida, and is registered as a Republican in Florida. According to Florida criminal records, Sayoc was born in New York.

A white van towed away from the scene was covered in pro-Trump imagery

The van was covered in stickers that show President Donald Trump and the presidential seal, among other pictures. Authorities have not said whether the van is connected with Sayoc.

Sayoc was arrested in 2002 in Miami for making a bomb threat. Records say he threatened to “throw, place, project or discharge” a destructive device.

Criminal records show Sayoc was arrested on multiple other occasions for fraud, tampering with evidence, drug possession and unlawful use of a driver’s license. </s> PLANTATION, Fla. (Reuters) - FBI agents used DNA and a fingerprint to identify the Florida man suspected of sending at least 14 bombs to critics of U.S. President Donald Trump days ahead of congressional elections.

Cesar Sayoc has been charged with five federal crimes including threats against former presidents and faces up to 48 years in prison if found guilty, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. He earlier said the suspect could face 58 years.

“We will not tolerate such lawlessness, especially political violence,” he said.

Authorities are still investigating whether other people were involved and did not rule out the possibility of further arrests or more explosive devices in the mail.

FBI agents arrested Sayoc, 56, in Plantation, Florida and also hauled away a white van plastered with pro-Trump stickers, the slogan “CNN SUCKS” and images of Democratic figures with red crosshairs over their faces.

FBI Director Christopher Wray told the news conference that fingerprints on a package sent to Representative Maxine Waters belonged to Sayoc.

He also said there could be other packages.

Announcing the arrest by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to a cheering audience at the White House, Trump said such “terrorizing acts” were despicable and had no place in the United States.

“We must never allow political violence to take root in America - cannot let it happen,” Trump said. “And I’m committed to doing everything in my power as president to stop it and to stop it now.”

Sayoc’s home address was listed in public records as an upscale gated apartment complex in the seaside town of Aventura, Florida.

According to the records, he is a registered Republican with a lengthy criminal past - including once making a bomb threat - and a history of posting inflammatory broadsides on social media against Trump’s political foes.

Sayoc was being held at an FBI processing center in Miramar, Florida, CNN said. He was expected to be taken to the Federal Detention Center in downtown Miami and will likely make his first appearance before a judge on Monday, according to former Assistant U.S. Attorney David Weinstein.

A federal law enforcement source said charges would likely be brought by federal prosecutors in Manhattan and Sayoc transferred to New York City.

Four more suspicious packages were found on Friday, according to officials and media reports, bringing the total to 14. None of the devices has detonated, and no injuries have been reported.

The intended recipients of packages discovered on Friday included Democratic U.S. Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, former U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, Democratic U.S. Senator Kamala Harris of California and Democratic donor Tom Steyer.

Hours after a federal law enforcement official said the investigation’s focus on Florida had intensified, police closed roads around the parking lot of an AutoZone store in Plantation where Sayoc was arrested, and helicopters flew overhead.

Investigators covered Sayoc’s van with a blue tarp before removing it on a truck.

All the people targeted by the suspicious packages have been maligned by right-wing critics. Packages that surfaced earlier in the week were addressed to Obama, former Vice President Joe Biden, former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, billionaire Democratic Party donor George Soros, Representative Maxine Waters, former Attorney General Eric Holder, former CIA director John Brennan and actor Robert De Niro.

Trump’s critics charged that his inflammatory rhetoric against Democrats and the press created a climate for politically motivated violence. Tensions are running high ahead of Nov. 6 elections that could shift the balance of power in Congress, which is currently controlled by Trump’s fellow Republicans.

“If we don’t stop this political mania, this fervor, rancor, hatred, you’ll see this again and again and again,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told MSNBC. “We have to get to the genesis, and the genesis is an overheated, vitriolic political division in this country and it starts with the leaders, and it starts with the president.”

Trump’s supporters accused Democrats of unfairly suggesting the president was to blame for the bomb scare.

After first calling for unity at the White House event, Trump lamented attacks against him and again pointed at the media.

“I get attacked all the time ... I can do the greatest thing for our country, and on the networks and on different things it will show bad,” he told the crowd, acknowledging an attendee who shouted “fake news.” </s> U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said on Friday that Cesar Sayoc, the suspect in a raft of suspicious packages sent to prominent Democrats and others, is in the custody of the FBI and has been charged with five federal crimes.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said on Friday that Cesar Sayoc, the suspect in a raft of suspicious packages sent to prominent Democrats and others, is in the custody of the FBI and has been charged with five federal crimes.

US mail bomb suspect charged, as FBI confirms more than a dozen bombs were not hoax devices

Sayoc faces up to 58 years in prison if found guilty, Sessions said at a press conference announcing the charges.

"We will not tolerate such lawlessness, especially political violence," he said.

FBI director Christopher Wray said more than a dozen mail bombs sent were not hoax devices.

FBI agents arrested Sayoc, 56, in Plantation, Florida and also hauled away a white van plastered with pro-Trump stickers, the slogan "CNN SUCKS" and images of Democratic figures with red crosshairs over their faces.

Wray told the news conference that fingerprints on a package sent to Representative Maxine Waters belonged to Sayoc.

He also said there could be other packages.

Announcing the arrest by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to a cheering audience at the White House, US President Donald Trump said such "terrorizing acts" were despicable and had no place in the United States.

"We must never allow political violence to take root in America - cannot let it happen," Trump said. "And I'm committed to doing everything in my power as president to stop it and to stop it now."

Sayoc's home address was listed in public records as an upscale gated apartment complex in the seaside town of Aventura, Florida.

According to the records, he is a registered Republican with a lengthy criminal past - including once making a bomb threat - and a history of posting inflammatory broadsides on social media against Trump's political foes.

Sayoc was being held at an FBI processing center in Miramar, Florida, CNN said. He was expected to be taken to the Federal Detention Center in downtown Miami and will likely make his first appearance before a judge on Monday, according to former Assistant U.S. Attorney David Weinstein.

A federal law enforcement source said charges would likely be brought by federal prosecutors in Manhattan and Sayoc transferred to New York City.

US authorities earlier detained Sayoc in connection with the mail bombs scare that has widened to 14 suspicious packages, officials said

Video from television news helicopters showed federal agents and police examining a white van in the car park of a business in Plantation, Florida.

Earlier on Friday, authorities said suspicious packages addressed to New Jersey senator Cory Booker and former National Intelligence director James Clapper - both similar to those containing pipe bombs sent to other prominent critics of President Donald Trump - had been intercepted.

The discoveries further spurred a coast-to-coast investigation as officials scramble to locate a culprit and possible motive amid questions about whether new packages were being sent or were simply surfacing after a period in the mail system.

The devices have targeted well-known Democrats including former president Barack Obama, ex-vice president Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and former attorney general Eric Holder.

The FBI said the package to Mr Booker was intercepted in Florida, and one discovered at a Manhattan postal facility was addressed to Mr Clapper at CNN's address. An earlier package had been sent to former Obama CIA director John Brennan care of CNN in New York.

Investigators are analysing the crude devices to reveal whether they were intended to detonate or simply sow fear just before election day on November 6.

Law enforcement officials said the devices, containing timers and batteries, were not rigged to explode on opening, but they were uncertain whether the devices were poorly designed or never intended to cause physical harm.

Homeland Security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen acknowledged that some of packages originated in Florida. One official said investigators homed in on a postal facility in Opa-locka, where they believe some packages originated.

The package addressed to Mr Booker was found during an oversight search of that facility, according to a law enforcement official.

Most of those targeted were past or present US officials, but others were sent to actor Robert De Niro and billionaire George Soros.

The bombs have been sent across the country - from New York, Delaware and Washington DC to Florida and California, where Democratic representative Maxine Waters was targeted.

They bore the return address of Florida representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.

The common thread among the targets was obvious: their critical words for Mr Trump and his frequent criticism in return.

The president claimed he was being blamed for the mail bombs, complaining in a tweet: "Funny how lowly rated CNN, and others, can criticize me at will, even blaming me for the current spate of Bombs and ridiculously comparing this to September 11th and the Oklahoma City bombing, yet when I criticize them they go wild and scream, 'it's just not Presidential!'"

The package to Mr Clapper was addressed to him at CNN's Manhattan address. The frequent Trump critic told CNN he was not surprised to be targeted and that he considered the actions "definitely domestic terrorism".

The devices were packaged in manila envelopes and carried US postage stamps. They are being examined by technicians at the FBI's forensic lab in Quantico, Virginia.

The packages stoked nationwide tensions ahead of the elections to determine control of Congress - a campaign both major political parties have described in near-apocalyptic terms. Politicians from both parties used the threats to condemn a toxic political climate and to lay blame.

Mr Trump, in a tweet on Thursday, blamed the "Mainstream Media" for the anger in society. Mr Brennan responded, tweeting that the president should "stop blaming others. Look in the mirror".

The bombs are about 6in long and packed with powder and broken glass, according to a law enforcement official who viewed X-ray images. The official said the devices were made from PVC pipe and covered with black tape.

The first bomb discovered was delivered on Monday to the suburban New York compound of Mr Soros, a major contributor to Democratic causes, who has called Mr Trump's presidency "dangerous".
• Read More: U.S. authorities find two more suspicious packages amid manhunt for sender </s> (CNN) The Florida man accused of sending mail bombs to CNN offices and prominent Democrats pleaded guilty on Thursday in Manhattan federal court to 65 felony counts, including using weapons of mass destruction in an attempted domestic terrorist attack.

Cesar Sayoc, 57, admitted in court to having mailed 16 explosive devices to a variety of officials -- primarily Democrats, including former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton and Sens. Cory Booker and Kamala Harris; and major Democratic donors, including George Soros and Tom Steyer -- and to CNN's offices in October 2018.

None of the devices detonated and no one was injured. After a four-day nationwide hunt , FBI agents found and arrested Sayoc in Plantation, Florida.

A courtroom sketch shows Cesar Sayoc during a hearing in a New York federal court last November.

In addition to 16 counts of the use of weapons of mass destruction, Sayoc pleaded guilty to the interstate transport of explosives, the illegal mailing of explosives with the intent to kill or injure and the carrying of explosives during the commission of a felony, among other crimes.

He faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and is set to be sentenced on September 12.

Read More </s> Postal service police screen employees entering the Royal Palm processing and Distribution Center, Oct. 25, 2018 in Opa-locka, Fla.

After 14 potential explosive devices were mailed to prominent Democrats, law enforcement authorities on Friday continued to search post offices after warning the public about more potentially dangerous packages.

"This has to be taken with the most seriousness," New York City Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill told reporters at a Thursday news conference when asked to address claims that the mailings were part of a hoax. "We are treating them as suspected explosive devices."

So far, none of the suspected packages have injured anyone.

Officials were searching a mail distribution center in Florida Thursday night for possible clues on where the packages originated. A scare at Time Warner Center in New York also caused more panic, after reports of unattended packages.

Here's what we know now.

One taken into custody

Cesar Sayoc, 56, has been charged in Florida. Sayoc has a prior criminal history, including a 2002 charge for threatening to "throw, project, place or discharge any destructive device." His criminal record dates back to 1991, with arrests for theft, drug offenses and traffic infractions.

Sayoc was charged with five federal crimes Friday, including interstate transportation of an explosive, illegal mailing of an explosive and threats against former presidents. He faces a maximum of 48 years in prison, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a news conference Friday.

Sayoc, of Aventura, Florida, is a registered Republican and last voted in the November 2016 election. He graduated from North Miami Beach High School in 1980.

Authorities used a fingerprint found on an envelope sent to Rep. Maxine Waters to identify Sayoc as a suspect, FBI Director Christopher Wray said Friday.

In this undated photo released by the Broward County Sheriff's office, Cesar Sayoc is seen in a booking photo in Miami. Federal authorities took Sayoc, 56, of Aventura, Fla., into custody Friday, Oct. 26, 2018 in Florida in connection with the mail-bomb scare that earlier widened to 12 suspicious packages, the FBI and Justice Department said. (Broward County Sheriff's Office via AP)

President Donald Trump lauded law enforcement officials for the arrest on Friday during the Young Black Leadership Summit at the White House. He called the bombings "despicable" and said political violence has "no place in our country."

Trump's comments come after tweets this morning alleging the bomb-like devices were shifting the national conversation away from early voting for the Nov. 6 midterm elections.

What do we know about the latest packages?

The three latest packages bring the total to 14 bomb-like devices.

The FBI confirmed Friday that they had found a suspicious package "similar in appearance to the others" that was addressed to Democrat Sen. Cory Booker in Florida. A suspicious package was also recovered at Sen. Kamala Harris's office in Sacramento, California Friday. Another package was intercepted at a mail facility in Burlingame, California addressed to billionaire Tom Steyer.

Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper was the target of another bomb-like device recovered in Manhattan, a person familiar with the matter told USA TODAY Friday. The device was addressed to Clapper and had the office of Florida Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz as the return address.

The New York Police Department had closed a Manhattan intersection to traffic and pedestrians near W. 52nd Street between 8th and 9th Avenues on Friday morning to handle the suspicious package.

The person was not authorized to speak about the matter publicly.

A postal distribution center in Opa Locka, Florida, is being closely monitored because several of the suspicious packages might have passed through it, according to a law enforcement official who is not authorized to comment publicly. Miami-Dade police bomb-squad and K-9 officers were called out to the center Thursday evening as federal authorities continued their investigation at the facility.

More: Authorities eye Florida in hunt for source of suspicious packages, as security officials worry danger 'not over'

Time Warner Center in midtown Manhattan, where CNN's New York offices are located, was partially evacuated Thursday night when the New York Police Department responded to reports of a pair of unattended packages.

The packages were cleared and no threat was found. Earlier this week, a bomb-like device was sent to the building addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan and the CNN offices were evacuated.

More: How to identify a suspicious package, and what to do with it
• Former CIA Director John Brennan, sent to CNN’s offices in New York City
• Florida's Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (a package discovered at her office was addressed to former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder)
• Billionaire George Soros, in the mailbox at his home in Bedford, New York
• Former Vice President Joe Biden; two packages were intercepted at Delaware postal facilities
• Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper in New York

Will there be more suspicious packages?

Authorities warned the public on Thursday to be on the lookout for more suspicious packages that could still be in the mail system.

O'Neill told reporters there are no current or credible threats that law enforcement is aware of. And he expressed confidence that the culprit would be caught.

Two law enforcement officials said Thursday that investigators have been increasingly focused on the mail streams in and out of Florida, largely since the device addressed to Holder was recovered when it was re-routed back to the return address of Wasserman Schultz. The two officials who are not authorized to comment publicly said authorities had not identified a suspect.

More: White House denies that Trump's rhetoric to blame for suspicious packages, 'anger' in society

Online and social diagram details the basic components used in the bomb-like devices that have been delivered to political figures in the past few days. </s> Authorities have arrested a man named Cesar Sayoc in connection to the suspicious packages believed to be explosive that were sent to CNN and politicians across the country, according to The New York Times.

The arrest, which was made in Florida, comes after a 12th package addressed to James Clapper (former director of National Intelligence) was discovered this morning (October 26). He joined the list with the Obamas, the Clintons, Eric Holder, Cory Booker, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Maxine Waters and more.

Cesar is a registered republican who was born in New York and has a long criminal history ranging from felony theft to fraud. He also a known Trump supporter.

SEE ALSO: Everything To Know About Suspicious Packages Sent To Obama, Clinton & More

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Cesar Sayoc Arrested In Connection With Suspicious Bomb Packages was originally published on hotspotatl.com

Also On 97.9 The Beat: </s> Pipe bomb suspect Cesar Sayoc is a registered Republican and a Trump fan with a criminal record

Mail bomb suspect has a criminal history and had worked as a bouncer in strip clubs, according to his cousin. </s> NEW YORK (Reuters) - The man suspected of sending at least a dozen parcel bombs to high-profile critics of U.S. President Donald Trump is a 56-year-old registered Republican in Florida with a lengthy criminal history.

Public records showed Cesar Sayoc has been arrested numerous times over the years, including one case in which he was accused of threatening to use a bomb.

Sayoc was taken into custody on Friday morning outside an auto parts store in Plantation, Florida, federal authorities said.

Sayoc's white van, which was seized by authorities, had numerous stickers showing President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, as well as a "CNN SUCKS" sign, according to a screenshot posted on Twitter by a CNN reporter.

Sayoc is a promoter, booking agent and "live entertainment owner," according to his LinkedIn profile, which listed him as the owner of International Gold Productions.

He filed for bankruptcy in Miami in 2012, according to court records. At the time, Sayoc said he lived with his mother in Aventura, Florida, and listed a $1,150 tax refund and a 2001 Chevy Tahoe vehicle as his only assets.
A suspect, Cesar Sayoc, is taken into custody in Plantation, Florida.