At 11 a.m. on Friday authorities arrested Cesar Sayoc, 56, at Auto Zone in Plantation, Florida in connection with the string of 13 pipe bombs sent to Democratic officials and supporters such as former President Barack Obama, billionaire George Soros, and Hillary Clinton. Florida’s Local 10 News says he was reportedly tracked using a cell phone.
In the Auto Zone’s parking lot, law enforcement also confiscated a white van plastered with pro-Trump stickers. After covering the truck in a blue tarp, FBI and US Postal Inspection Service officials took the van to the FBI’s headquarters in South Florida.
Sayoc was not only a registered Republican, but, as BuzzFeed News reports, he was also an ardent fan of President Trump. His social media feeds contained many pictures of him in MAGA hats, at Trump rallies, and even at Trump’s inauguration. He also appeared to have a deep hatred for the Left and prominent Democrats. In a 2016 Facebook post he wrote that “America will celebrate” Hillary Clinton’s death and promoted the conspiracy theory that Clinton used a body double to hide her declining health from the American public.
Sayoc’s criminal history is extensive enough to give anyone pause. According to The New York Times, he has previously faced charges related to felony theft, drugs and fraud, and he has even been arrested in connection to bomb threats.
After news of the arrest broke, President Trump applauded law enforcement’s work to apprehend the suspect and made an uncharacteristic call for unity among the American people.
“We must show the world that we are united together in peace and love and harmony as fellow American citizens,” he said. “There is no country like our country.”
Since the initial pipe bombs were first sent out, authorities and mailroom workers have heightened their vigilance. Just recently pipe bomb packages addressed to New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, California Senator Kamala Harris, and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper were all been intercepted, bringing the total number of packages discovered so far to 13. Thankfully, none of the pipe bombs have caused any casualties, and let’s hope it stays that way.