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Explosive device found in George Soros' mailbox; FBI investigating

5 years 5 months 4 days ago Tuesday, October 23 2018 Oct 23, 2018 October 23, 2018 1:16 PM October 23, 2018 in News
Source: ABC News
Photo: Niccolò Caranti
BEDFORD, N.Y. - A pipe-bomb-like device loaded with black powder was found at the suburban New York City home of billionaire financier George Soros, prompting the FBI to launch an investigation into who would want to harm the philanthropist and political activist, a law enforcement source told ABC News on Tuesday.

The FBI detonated the device near Soros' home in Katonah, New York, and were analyzing the parts to determine whether the bomb was built to go off, the source said.

Soros has become a favorite target of right-wing groups due to his support of progressive causes and Democratic candidates, but authorities have not commented on whether any specific group is being investigated in regard to the incident.

The source emphasized that the device was no hoax.

The bomb was found about 3:45 p.m. Monday in the mailbox of Soros' home by a property caretaker for the billionaire, the source said.

"An employee of the residence opened the package, revealing what appeared to be an explosive device," said Bedford police, which sent officers to the residence, in a statement.

The caretaker placed the suspicious package in a wooded area and called the police, officials said.

No determination has been made whether the device arrived by mail or was planted in the mailbox, and there is no suspect yet.

The 88-year-old Soros was not home when the device was discovered, and no one was injured in the incident.

Bedford police said the investigation was turned over to the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force.

"We are conducting an investigation at and around a residence in Bedford, New York. There is no threat to public safety, and we have no further comment at this time," the FBI New York office tweeted Monday afternoon.

A Hungarian immigrant who lived through the Nazi occupation during World War II, Soros launched his own hedge fund in 1970 and went on to become one of the most successful investors in U.S. history.

The discovery of the pipe bomb follows a separate and unrelated case this month in another northern New York City suburb in which the FBI found a 200-pound workable bomb, and arrested a man who allegedly built it and planned to detonate it on the National Mall in Washington on Election Day, officials said.

While no determination has been made about a motive in the Soros case, investigators said they are concerned about consequences of the nation's heightened political rhetoric.

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