Authorities have arrested 56-year-old Florida resident Cesar Sayoc in connection with more than a dozen suspected mail-bomb devices sent to prominent Democrats. The mail-bombing campaign was aimed at critics of US President Donald Trump. Fourteen items have been sent to figures including ex-President Barack Obama and actor Robert de Niro.
How was he caught?
A single fingerprint taken from a mail bomb sent to Representative Maxine Waters helped investigators catch the bomber. Officials also said DNA and mobile phone data were used to track the suspect down. Mr. Sayoc was charged with five counts including interstate transportation of an explosive, illegal mailing of explosives and making threats against former presidents. The Department of Justice said he faced up to 48 years in jail.
Who is he?
Cesar Altieri Sayoc is a passionate Trump supporter. His white van was plastered with stickers supportive of Trump. One piece of artwork depicted President Trump standing on a tank and another showed Hillary Clinton with a bullseye superimposed on her face. There were also images of the president’s critics with red targets over their faces and a large decal that read “CNN sucks.
How did Mr Trump react?
The president praised law enforcement for the quick arrest of the suspect, describing the search as looking for a "needle in a haystack". He has stated that "these terrorising acts are despicable and have no place in our country." The president has also suggested the incidents, which he described as "'Bomb' stuff", were slowing Republican "momentum" in early voting. In another tweet, the president has accusing US media of exploiting the latest case. "We have seen an effort by the media in recent hours to use the sinister actions of one individual to score political points against me and the Republican party." On Friday, President Trump said that the news media was more focused on covering “this ‘Bomb’ stuff” rather than politics. The president has also rejected any suggestion that his rhetoric had contributed to the attacks. When asked by reporters whether he is to blame for the actions of the alleged bomber, he replied “No, not at all”
Questions
Do you agree with Mr. Trump's reactions?
Resources
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BBC
I do not agree with his post because he is encouraging violence. This situation is related to Trump telling teachers to arm themselves from school shooters. In my opinion, that’s not a good way of dealing w the situation. Rather, gun regulations should just increase.
ReplyDeleteI feel the way Trump behaves and the things he supports may have contributed to the motives of the suspect.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with his reactions when he relates it to voting. He seems to pay more attention to the polls and politics rather than the issues with the pipe bombs. Accusing the media of covering this incident as a way of “slowing” republicans down isn’t really relevant to what’s going on. -Justin L
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Trump turns this into a partisan issue reflects how corrupt American politics has become, and people care less about others' safety in today's age. It reflects people's selfishness towards their own agendas, and how politicians start to forget about their purpose, which is to serve their people. When people's lives are in danger, the first reaction should be to make sure they're alright, and the fact that it isn't that anymore is discouraging.
ReplyDelete-Trey
Trump shows little concern for the victims of the mail bombs. Even though no one was directly hurt by these bombs, it shouldn't mean that Trump should avoid displaying some sort of sympathy towards the targets. So no, I don't agree with his excuse of a reaction since it's merely a message on social media. As a president, he should've executed this more professionally especially since he holds a high role in politics.
ReplyDeleteI think his reaction was inappropriate since he decided to bring up how the bombs impacted voting, rather than just directly addressing the bombs. As a president, he should be more formal and sympathetic in addressing incidents like this.
ReplyDeleteI think Trump's reaction is immature, he seems to care more about the elections rather than the fact that there were lives at risk from the bombs. He is not displaying a good example of what a President should do, which should be to care for the welfare of those in his own country, but he seems more concerned with what he considers his own.
ReplyDeleteI think that it's pretty amazing how Trump can be so detached to the lives of the citizens of his country. Trump sees the news of 11 people dying at the hands of a Trump supporter and immediately thinks of it as a way of the media taking advantage of the news. Trump is acting like the media disregarding the most important things in life: the election polls, and focusing on something insignificant.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn’t agree with Trump’s reaction as this should be brought to the attention of the citizens of the United States. Politics can only be so important and people should be aware that this is a problem and encourage a change in our society. This shouldn’t be allowed and shouldn’t be taken lightly. Regardless of their political stance these were people that are effected.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree with Trump's relaxed reaction calling the event "bomb stuff" and redirecting the event towards the Republican campaign. The bombing is an issue bigger than politics and should be treated as such.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with Trump's reaction, he is taking these bombing really lightly when someone could've been killed. He shows more concerns for the poll than for his people.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree with Trump's reaction towards this issue because it shows that he is okay with people receiving such packages. This issue shouldn't be taken in like this and requires further investigations to make sure such an issue does not happen again.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree at all with President Trumps response. He doest seem to realize that he influenced this bomber and that his reckless actions can have a huge impact on his followers. I think his response was very immature and insensitive to the damage those bombs could have done.
ReplyDeleteJannie Ma
ReplyDeleteI think his comment/tweet is irrelevant. It feels like a child who kept arguing about something with the adult and then the child got proved to be wrong, it played dumb and talked about how others kids can avoid the mistakes....I'm not sure if this make sense
I did not like trump's reaction due to his lack of focus towards this issue. He did not realize how his actions influenced the bombers train of thought. His comments and tweets just make him seem very immature.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree with Trump's reaction. He doesn’t care about his people’s lives. All he cares is the poll.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree with Trump's reaction. The media should be covering the bomb because it is an important thing that people should be aware about. The intent of news reporting was not to belittle the republican party, but to inform the public.
ReplyDelete-Donald