Vox Sentences: A bombing suspect is in custody, but questions remain

Vox Sentences: A bombing suspect is in custody, but questions remain

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Federal authorities arrest a man in connection to the pipe bombs mailed to public figures; Israeli forces kill five Palestinians in a Gaza protest.


Florida man charged in connection to bomb threats

 Carline Jeant/South Florida Sun Sentinel/TNS via Getty Images
  • Federal authorities arrested a man suspected to be behind the recent bomb threats against prominent Democrats and critics of President Donald Trump, the Justice Department confirmed Friday. [Vox / Jen Kirby]
  • Attorney General Jeff Sessions identified the suspect as Cesar Altieri Sayoc Jr., 56, of Florida, who has been charged with five federal crimes, including illegal mailing and interstate transportation of explosives. He currently faces up to 48 years in prison. [CNN]
  • Federal authorities have also seized a white van in connection with the case; the vehicle’s windows are covered in pro-Trump and pro-Republican stickers. [NBC Miami]
  • Sayoc, a registered Republican, has an extensive criminal record. He’s been arrested at least 10 times, at one point for making a bomb threat. In 1991, he pleaded guilty to grand theft to the third degree. [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
  • In a White House event, President Trump applauded the FBI, Secret Service, and other law enforcement for their quick action in identifying and catching a suspect. “We must never allow political violence to take root in America,” he said. [AP / Jonathan Lemire and Catherine Lucey]
  • The FBI narrowed its investigation to the state of Florida late Thursday, after identifying that many of the packages went through a mailing facility outside Miami. [Newsday]
  • Authorities said four more bombs have been intercepted, addressed to Sens. Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and billionaire Tom Steyer. [New York Post / Ruth Brown]
  • Two possible reasons the pipe bombs didn’t detonate include better security practices to identify suspicious packages and the fact that the bombs could have been created without the intention to harm anyone, or to provide a false sense of security before additional bombs actually go off. [Vox / Alex Ward and Stavros Agorakis]

Five Palestinians killed in latest Gaza protest

  • Israeli forces shot and killed five Palestinians and injured hundreds more after protests erupted along the Gaza border on Friday. [Jerusalem Post]
  • The Israeli Defense Force said 16,000 Palestinians gathered along the fence for the 31st Friday in a row. They hurled grenades, firebombs, and rocks at Israeli troops, who then retaliated with live ammunition. [Fox News / Trey Yingst]
  • Palestinians have taken to the border since March 30, demanding an end to Israel’s blockade of the territory and the right to return to lands from which they fled or were driven away. More than 210 Gazans have been killed in that time. [Reuters / Nidal al-Mughrabi and Ali Sawafta]
  • The American government has long backed Israel in the conflict with Palestine. Most recently, the US announced it will merge its Jerusalem Consulate, which serves as an unofficial embassy to the Palestinians, with the new embassy in Israel. [Reuters / Doina Chiacu]
  • Palestinian officials have cut ties with the US after President Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital last year and moved the US Embassy there. [Al Jazeera]

Miscellaneous

  • NBC confirmed Megyn Kelly Today will not return. Kelly received backlash after commenting on blackface Halloween costumes on the show Tuesday. [Today / Rheana Murray]
  • Merriam-Webster launched a new tool Friday that lets you find the new words used in print the year you were born. [Time / Raisa Bruner]
  • Actor Johnny Depp is reportedly not returning to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise after playing the lead role for the past 15 years. Depp also received criticism for starring in the Fantastic Beasts sequel after allegations of domestic abuse against ex-wife Amber Heard arose last year. [Page Six / Fay Strang]
  • Another classic ‘90s teen film is going through the “remake machine,” as GLOW writer Marquita Robinson has been confirmed to write a new script for the 1995 hit rom-com Clueless. [THR]

Verbatim

“I fully feel alive when my life is at stake.” [An urban climber most commonly known as the “French Spiderman” has been barred from climbing tall buildings in the UK after scaling one of London’s tallest skyscrapers without ropes or permission / AP]


Watch this: The biggest corruption scandal in Latin American history

And possibly the whole world. [YouTube / Sam Ellis and Terra Athayde]


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