Discovery of Explosive Packages Sent to Robert De Niro and Joe Biden

Explosive packages sent to the addresses of Robert De Niro, the famous Hollywood actor, and Joe Biden, the former Vice President of the United States, were discovered and neutralized on Thursday, October 25. The Associated Press reported, citing U.S. police officials, that these packages were similar to those sent to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, the former President and Secretary of State, as well as the CNN network office. None of these packages exploded, and no one was injured, but the report indicates that sending such packages to prominent Democratic figures critical of Donald Trump, the President of the United States, reflects the increasing political tensions in the country less than two weeks before the midterm congressional elections. Police stated that the explosive package sent to Robert De Niro was discovered in Manhattan, New York. De Niro harshly criticized Donald Trump at the Tony Awards this year, calling his behavior "stupid." Joe Biden also criticized Trump just last week, stating that he "doesn't know what he's doing" and that his behavior towards dictators is overly lenient. The Associated Press, citing U.S. police sources, reported that the package sent to Joe Biden was intercepted and discovered in Delaware and is similar to the other packages. Donald Trump continues to attack Hillary Clinton, who defeated him in the presidential election two years ago, at his rallies, with supporters chanting that she should be imprisoned. The President also targets CNN and other news media, labeling them as purveyors of fake news. On Thursday, without directly referencing the explosive packages, he again blamed the media for inciting public anger. The President tweeted: "A large part of the anger we see in our society today is the result of inaccurate and false reporting by the mainstream media, which I call the 'fake news media.'" He described the behavior of these media as "very bad and disgusting" and emphasized that mainstream media must quickly end this behavior. The discovered bombs each have a small battery and are approximately six inches long, about 15 centimeters. According to police officials, these explosive devices were made with PVC pipes and covered with black tape. The first bomb discovered was sent on Monday to the residence of George Soros, a liberal billionaire and financial supporter of the Democrats, in the suburbs of New York. Packages were also sent to Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Maxine Waters, two Democratic representatives in the U.S. Congress, which have been discovered. The White House has strongly condemned these targeted attacks against Democrats. Donald Trump has also stated that "violent political actions or threats have no place in the United States" and such actions are "disgusting."