This image was removed due to legal reasons. CNN evacuated its entire headquarters in New York City’s Columbus Circle on Wednesday morning after a bomb threat. Advertisement The evacuation happened shortly after 10 a.m. Reporters first started tweeting pictures after leaving the building. The device was allegedly comprised of “a pipe and wires,” per Vice News. The evacuation occurred shortly after the Secret Service revealed that explosive devices had been sent to both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. It was unclear whether there was any link between the incidents, though CNN’s Brian Stelter reported that the device appeared to be “similar” to the one sent to the Clintons. CNN President Jeff Zucker sent out a note to staff saying that the center had been evacuated due to a “suspicious package” in the mailroom, urging staff to remain “calm and patient.” Advertisement Here’s footage of anchors Jim Sciutto and Poppy Harlow immediately rushing off air (looks like they went to commercial, then passed the broadcast to another non-NYC studio) after hearing alarms in the background. Advertisement Sciutto and Harlow took the broadcast back from the street after the evacuation: Advertisement Update, 11:33 a.m. ET: CNN’s Jake Tapper reported that the suspicious package was addressed to former CIA director John Brennan. Brennan is currently a contributor to NBC News and MSNBC and has been a vocal critic of Donald Trump. Advertisement Update, 11:48 a.m. ET: CNN President Jeff Zucker updated his staff on the situation, saying that the network’s other bureaus around the world look clear at the moment: As a follow up to my earlier note, we remain on alert in New York. The NYPD is currently in the building assessing the situation. I can confirm that we have checked all of our other bureaus worldwide, and have found no other devices at this time. I promise to keep you updated on a regular basis with any new information. Please do your best to remain calm and patient. As I mentioned earlier, if you would feel more comfortable leaving the area, please do. If you do, please keep up communications with your colleagues. Advertisement This story is developing and will be updated.<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>NEW A vastly improved search engine helps you find the latest on companies, business leaders, and news more easily.<doc-sep>The Time Warner Center in New York, which houses CNN's office, was evacuated Wednesday morning after a suspicious package containing a pipe bomb arrived, authorities said. The package was similar to suspicious packages found near the New York home of Bill and Hillary Clinton and another sent to former President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C., earlier in the week, law enforcement officials said. Another package was addressed to former Attorney General Eric Holder and but sent back to the fraudulent return address, that of Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla. The devices in the packages appear to be pipe bombs, said the New York Police Department's Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence & Counterterrorism John Miller. The package sent to CNN, which also contained a white powder, was addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan, who doesn't work for CNN but is a senior national security and intelligence analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. President Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked CNN and Brennan. In July, Trump revoked his security clearance and has called him "the worst CIA Director in our country’s history." "There is a total and complete lack of understanding at the White House about the seriousness of their continued attacks on the media," CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. "The President, and especially the White House Press Secretary, should understand their words matter. Thus far, they have shown no comprehension of that." Miller said following the discoveries of the packages sent to the Clintons and Obama, NYPD officers were deployed to media companies in New York to show them what kind of packages to be suspicious of. NYPD personnel was doing just that with CNN staff when the device there was discovered. A source with knowledge of the situation who was not authorized to speak publicly said that CNN had steadily increased its security in the past two years, and that the company's security team regularly evaluated threats against the company and its journalists. The source added that the company had turned over several threats to law enforcement in recent months. Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday afternoon that NYPD presence would be increased all over the city, especially at the offices of media organizations. "Don’t encourage violence, don’t encourage hatred, don’t encourage attacks on media," de Blasio said. "Unfortunately, this atmosphere of hatred is contributing to the choices people are making to turn to violence, there’s no question about it." New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the increased security was not the result of a specific threat, but out of precaution. "Terrorism only works if you let it work," he said "We are New Yorkers. We are smart, we are tough, we are resilient, and we will not allow these terrorist thugs to change the way we live our lives." Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., was also the target of a suspicious package intercepted at a Maryland mail processing facility, according to three congressional leadership sources. The FBI is now investigating whether it is tied to the other packages. During a briefing on the package sent to CNN, Cuomo said a package had also been sent to his Manhattan office. The package was cleared and unrelated to the others, J. Peter Donald, the assistant commissioner for communications with the NYPD said later. The envelope that contained a possible device sent to CNN. Former CIA Director John Brennan's name is misspelled. NBC News Earlier, the New York Police Department urged people to avoid Columbus Circle, where the Time Warner Center is located. New Yorkers also received an emergency alert on their phones urging the entire block to shelter in place immediately. Zucker said in a noon statement that the device had been removed from the building, and police were doing another sweep of the building. CNN staffers returned to the building just before 4 p.m. Zucker said the building had been evacuated "out of an abundance of caution." He said CNN's other bureaus have been checked and found to be safe, but extra security was being set up at Atlanta's CNN Center, which is open to the public. "As you communicate via social media, out of an abundance of caution, please refrain from sharing any images or geo tags that would reveal your location," Zucker said. "We have no particular reason to be concerned, but just think it would be the most cautious approach." Police stand outside the Time Warner Center after a suspicious package was found inside the CNN headquarters in New York on Oct. 24, 2018. Kevin Coombs / Reuters Jim Sciutto, a CNN correspondent, tweeted that the bomb squad responded. "We’re told of explosive device received," he wrote. Sciutto and Poppy Harlow were on air at approximately 10:09 a.m. when a fire alarm went off. The two continued to report from their cellphones in the midst of the evacuation. Sciutto reported that police had delivered a containment vessel used to transport explosive materials, and posted video of it being transported on W. 57th street, a block away from the CBS Broadcast Center. We are still evacuated. Entire street outside CNN closed off. pic.twitter.com/HYcb7fFRvP — Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) October 24, 2018 Zucker said CBS News, whose offices are less than three blocks from CNN, had offered assistance to those evacuated. The White House condemned the "attempted attacks." "We condemn the attempted attacks against fmr Pres Obama, the Clintons, @CNN & others. These cowardly actions are despicable & have no place in this Country. Grateful for swift response of @SecretService, @FBI & local law enforcement. Those responsible will be brought to justice," Vice President Mike Pence wrote in a tweet. At an event in Scranton, Pennsylvania, he said the "cowardly acts are despicable." The president retweeted Pence's tweet, adding, "I agree wholeheartedly!" "In these times, we have to unify. We have to come together and send one very clear, strong, unmistakable message that acts or threats and political violence of any kind have no place in the United States of America," Trump said later at an event. "It’s a very bipartisan statement I can tell you from both sides. We both agree on that."<doc-sep>
Authorities have safely removed what they said was a "live explosive device" mailed to CNN's New York office on Wednesday that forced the network to evacuate its employees. New York Police Department Commissioner James O'Neill said an envelope containing white powder was found with the device. Two CNN reporters said the package was addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan, who served in the Obama administration. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio condemned the incident as an "act of terror." The Secret Service said on Wednesday that explosive devices were also sent to the home of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and to the home of former President Barack Obama. A bomb squad safely removed what authorities called a "live explosive device" mailed to CNN's office in New York on Wednesday that prompted the network to evacuate its employees. New York Police Department Commissioner James O'Neill told reporters at a news conference that the department's bomb squad secured the device and removed it for investigation, and that an envelope containing white powder was found alongside it. The CNN reporters Jim Sciutto and Jake Tapper tweeted that the package was addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan, who frequently appears on the network and has been critical of President Donald Trump. The network tweeted a picture of the device. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio condemned the incident as "an effort to terrorize" and praised CNN employees for their professionalism in handling the situation. "This clearly was an act of terror attempting to undermine our free press and leaders of this country through acts of violence," he said, adding, "We are going to go about our lives undeterred, because the very concept of terrorism is to change us, and we will not allow that to happen." De Blasio added that there were no other credible, specific threats to New Yorkers and that residents should go about their daily routines. CNN had been broadcasting live Wednesday morning when a fire alarm went off in the Time Warner Center in midtown Manhattan. Footage showed Sciutto and Poppy Harlow explaining that the alarm had gone off, while employees could be seen leaving the studio. The network cut to commercial. CNN reporters tweeted photos showing a heavy police response at the scene, and people in the area received emergency alerts on their smartphones telling them to shelter in place. CNN's president, Jeff Zucker, told employees in a statement that the package was received in the building's mail room and that he was "working with authorities to determine the severity of the situation." He added that the network was checking all of its bureaus around the world "out of a complete abundance of caution." 'A total and complete lack of understanding at the White House' NYPD members outside the Time Warner Center on Wednesday. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton The incident came amid reports that the Secret Service had intercepted explosive devices mailed to the residences of Bill and Hillary Clinton in Chappaqua, New York, and former President Barack Obama in Washington, DC. "The Secret Service has initiated a full scope criminal investigation that will leverage all available federal, state, and local resources to determine the source of the packages and identify those responsible," the Secret Service said in a statement. Several more were found across the country, including at the offices of Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the former chair of the Democratic National Committee, and California Rep. Maxine Waters. On Monday, an explosive device was found at the home of the billionaire Democratic donor George Soros in Bedford, New York. President Donald Trump on Wednesday condemned the incidents, vowing a full investigation and urging unity. "I just want to tell you that in these times, we have to unify," he said. "We have to come together and send one clear, and strong message that acts of threats or political violence have no place in the United States of America." But Zucker appeared to find the remarks insufficient — he said in a statement Wednesday afternoon that Trump and the rest of his administration needed to better understand the consequences of their frequent attacks on CNN and other media. "There is a total and complete lack of understanding at the White House about the seriousness of their continued attacks on the media," Zucker said. "The President, and especially the White House Press Secretary, should understand their words matter. Thus far, they have shown no comprehension of that."