Updates throughout The suspicious device found in CNN’s Time Warner Center mailroom this morning – delivered by courier – was “live” and contained a white powder, New York police officials confirmed today, prompting New York mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo to unofficially call the mailings acts of terror. Law enforcement and government officials have not yet officially deemed the mailings as terrorist acts. Though the devices were deemed “live” earlier today by NYC Police Commissioner James O’Neill, their functionality was still being discussed by late afternoon. “Rudimentary but functional” was the chosen phrase of the afternoon on cable news. Asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper about the device’s functionality, de Blasio said “unquestionably it was a legitimate device and thank God it didn’t go off…the fact that something didn’t go off is not the way to grade it.” Related Story CNN Parts Ways With Contributor Rick Santorum After Furor Over Comments About Native Americans The CNN device (see it above), addressed to Former CIA Director John Brennan via the news network and one of at least five such packages discovered this week, prompted the evacuation of the tourist-popular Time Warner Center in New York City, where CNN has its New York bureau. In addition to the CNN/Brennan package, suspicious devices have been found since last night addressed to Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Eric Holder, and, according to breaking reports, Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters. A pipe bomb was found in the mailbox of billionaire George Soros Monday. At a press conference this afternoon, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said his Manhattan office had received a suspicious package; the package was later deemed benign and apparently not part of the wave of threatening mailings. The evacuation of the Time Warner Center – which also includes a Whole Foods, a shopping mall and office space – continued well into the afternoon. (CNN staffers were allowed to return to their offices shortly before 4 pm ET). CNN’s Jim Sciutto and Poppy Harlow continued to report from outside the Columbus Circle building well past 2 pm ET. The Midtown vicinity is under heavy police presence, and some adjacent buildings also were evacuated. In one of a series of memos to CNN staffers, CNN president Jeff Zucker said the company would “remain vigilant regarding security concerns across all of our global locations.” Earlier reports that a suspicious device was intercepted at the White House proved false. Brennan, a strong critic of President Donald Trump, does not work for CNN. He is a frequent contributor to NBC and MSNBC. The Florida office of Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz was evacuated earlier today after a suspicious package was found there, addressed to former Attorney General Eric Holder but, like the other packages, carrying a return address of Wasserman Schultz’s office. (The package intended for Holder included an incorrect address and so was returned to the Wasserman Schultz return address). At a press conference this afternoon, during which New York’s mayor, governor and commissioner of police spoke, the device at CNN was confirmed as a live functional explosive device containing a suspicious white powder. Speaking at a previously planned rally in Florida, Hillary Clinton thanked the Secret Service for keeping her family safe. “Every day we are grateful for their service and their commitment,” she said, adding that we live in “a troubling time” of “deep division.” The White House said President Donald Trump had been briefed on the situation. Vice President Mike Pence issued the following statement: “These cowardly actions ares despicable and have no place in this country. Those responsible will be brought to justice,” which Trump retweeted with the comment, “I agree wholeheartedly!” The device at CNN was discovered in the network’s mailroom. Sciutto and Harlow, on air, were among the CNN staffers ordered to leave the building; the two continued reporting on the situation outside the building, initially using Harlow’s iPhone. Just before 11:40 am ET, the bomb device was removed from the Time Warner Center, likely for off-site detonation at an NYPD training facility in The Bronx. CNN cited an NYPD source describing the device sent to Time Warner Center as constructed with a pipe and wires. 58th street East of 9th Ave is closed off. pic.twitter.com/F3TYZWOzVX — Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) October 24, 2018 The incident at CNN follows the interception earlier today and last night of suspicious packages resembling homemade bombs addressed to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the Secret Service confirmed earlier. In a White House statement, press secretary Sarah Sanders said: “We condemn the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and other public figures. These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. The United States Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies are investigating and will take all appropriate action to protect anyone threatened by these cowards.” The device intended for the former First Lady was addressed to the Chappaqua, N.Y. home she shares with former president Bill Clinton. The Secret Service intercepted the package last night. In a statement, the Secret Service earlier confirmed it had intercepted “two suspicious packages addressed to Secret Service protectees.” (The Clinton-addressed package was intercepted on the night of Oct. 23; the package intended for Obama was intercepted in Washington, D.C. early this morning). The Secret Service statement continued: “The packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such. The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them.” Both the Secret Service and the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force are investigating the incidents, with the Secret Service saying the investigation will “leverage all available federal, state, and local resources to determine the source of the packages and identify those responsible.” A statement made by Chappaqua’s New Castle Police Department indicated that the local enforcement officials “assisted the FBI, Secret Service and the West Chester Police with the investigation of a suspicious package.” The Secret Service released a statement saying that at no time were Clinton or Obama in danger from the packages, which, as is standard practice with all mail to protectees, were intercepted at an offsite facility.<doc-sep>New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday called the live explosive package sent to the Time Warner Center building in Manhattan an "act of terror." "This clearly was an act of terror attempting to undermine our free press and leaders of this country through acts of violence," de Blasio said during a press briefing. "I want to make very clear that the people in New York City will not be intimidated." Mayor tweet The mayor's comments came after CNN was evacuated from the headquarters of its New York bureau in the Time Warner Center. The attack on CNN came alongside a string of apparently similar attacks on prominent targets of conservative criticism, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama, as well as the liberal billionaire George Soros. De Blasio's remarks were echoed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who said later in the briefing that "we will not allow these terrorist thugs to change the way we live our lives."<doc-sep>
After officials discovered what “appeared to be a live explosive device” at the Time Warner Center — CNN’s headquarters — authorities needed to remove the device out of busy Manhattan safely. And that’s where the New York Police Department’s Total Containment Vessel came in. The package was placed inside a large white sphere attached to an NYPD truck to be safely transported out of Manhattan on Wednesday, the New York Post reported. “If a bomb were to explode inside there, the pressure will bleed off through a series of small vents, but all the fragmentation that would be associated with it — and of course the blast pressure shockwave — it’s contained,” Lt. Mark Torre, commanding officer of the NYPD bomb squad explained in a video. SUSPICIOUS PACKAGES ADDRESSED TO OBAMA, CLINTON, OTHERS: A FULL LIST OF RECIPIENTS “Of everything we use, this really promotes safety for the public because once something is in here and locked down, we can move it safely through public streets without evacuations, without shutting anything down and most importantly, without fear,” Torre said. “Nobody is going to get hurt and no property is going to be damaged so it’s money well invested.” A rash of suspicious packages sent to prominent political figures and news outlets were found this week in several places, including New York City. As of Friday, devices had been sent to liberal billionaire George Soros, former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Joe Biden, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, California Rep. Maxine Waters, former Attorney General Eric Holder, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, actor Robert De Niro, former intel chief James Clapper and former CIA Director John Brennan. FLORIDA SEEN AS ‘REGION OF INTEREST’ IN PACKAGE BOMB PROBE, SOURCES SAY On Friday, a pair of suspicious packages addressed to Booker and Clapper were discovered — bringing the total number of parcels sent to 12. The package addressed to Brennan was sent to CNN although he is an MSNBC analyst. Accompanied by emergency vehicles, it was taken to a police facility in the Bronx, where authorities were investigating it further. Another package, addressed to De Niro in Tribeca, was also transported by a TCV out of the city. Generally, TCVs can contain 25 pounds of TNT or more during a blast, The New York Times reported. The vehicles are also becoming increasingly common among police forces, according to the newspaper. The Associated Press contributed to this report.