Law enforcement officials in New York City held a press conference on Thursday afternoon to provide the latest updates in the investigation into the 10 suspicious devices that were delivered to high-profile Democrats, including Bill and Hillary Clinton and Michelle and Barack Obama, and the CNN headquarters in New York City this week.
In the news conference, streamed live by NBC News, Mayor Bill de Blasio reiterated his characterization of the pipe bomb mailings as “terrorism,” and urged New Yorkers to remain vigilant and contact authorities if they see anything at all suspicious.
NYPD Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill: "I can say with certainty that we will identify and arrest the person or people responsible for these acts." pic.twitter.com/fhTMNVBqTL
— FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) October 25, 2018
NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill reiterated that while not of the devices in the packages exploded, investigators are not treating any of them as a hoax and “have to treat them as live devices.”
“This is something that should be taken seriously,” Commissioner O’Neill said, declining to answer reporter questions about whether the devices were intended to explode or if they were sent as a means of intimidation.
“I’m not going to talk about intent,” the commissioner said.
While law enforcement officials at the news conference said they could not rule out the possibility of additional packages, the police commissioner insisted that New Yorkers were not facing an immediate threat.
“New Yorkers are safe. There are no current credible threats to any individuals, organizations or locations,” Commissioner O’Neill said.
“But everyone…should always remain vigilant.”
[Feature image: AP Photo/Richard Drew]