![]() Prosecutors say the devices were packed with shards of glass to maximize damage. On Monday, after Sayoc was in custody, a package believed to be from him arrived at CNN offices in Atlanta. After these recent incidents, everyone’s being more vigilant.”įederal prosecutors have labelled the recent flurry of mail bombs a “domestic terrorist attack.” Given that more than 100 potential targets were discovered on Sayoc’s laptop, authorities speculate that more bombs could still be making their way through the mail. If a package fits the description, the door staff is under orders to notify the resident manager or call 911. “Letters are delivered to mailboxes, but large packages are dropped at the front desk. “We’ve asked our managers to circulate the flyer to all the buildings’ staffs and make sure they’re aware what a suspicious package looks like,” Naseer says. When the flyer came to the attention of a property manager at Orsid Realty, he passed it along to Farhan Naseer, an account executive, who sent it to all 160 properties managed by Orsid. ![]() The bombs allegedly sent by Sayoc met several of those criteria. To that end, SHIELD is circulating an illustrated flyer with this description of potentially dangerous packages: “Characteristics of suspicious packages include protruding wires, excessive or missing postage stamps, strange odors, oily stains on wrappers, and addresses that are misspelled, poorly typed, or nameless.” The New York Police Department’s Counterterrorism Bureau has instituted a program called SHIELD, designed to enlist the private sector in the fight against terrorist threats. “We are no longer, in certain buildings, giving the packages unless that person is called and says it’s ok to accept the package.” The screenings were instituted at a dozen of the company’s buildings last week, immediately after a bomb was discovered at the home of Soros, who has donated lavishly to Democratic candidates and is demonized by some of the far right as the mastermind of a left-wing “globalist” movement. “I can’t think in recent memory having done something like this,” Wollman told the Real Deal. Now it has also become a security concern.Īfter authorities arrested Trump supporter Cesar Sayoc in Florida last week and charged him with sending 15 mail bombs to the homes and offices of critics of the president – including CNN and the actor Robert DeNiro in New York City, and Hillary Clinton and liberal billionaire George Soros in suburban New York – co-op and condo property managers have begun taking steps to increase the vigilance of building staffs and educate them on how to spot suspicious packages.ĭan Wollman, chief executive of the management company Gumley Haft, says door people and concierges at some of the company’s buildings have been instructed to call residents when a package arrives for them rather than sending the package directly to their apartments. ![]() There was no indication there was any link between the two events.Īlthough a common spot for visitors traveling to New York, Times Square has been the site of a number of recent shooting, which has prompted an increased police presence and stoked conversation around public safety amid the ongoing mayoral election.For co-op and condo boards and their building staffs, handling the rising deluge of package deliveries has become a logistical headache. The evacuation came at the same time police in Washington, D.C., were negotiating with a man who parked outside the Library of Congress building and claimed to have an explosive device. Photos and videos shared on social media showed a portion of Times Square empty of the usual crowds of tourists as police and other emergency vehicles lined the streets. Police had warned the public to avoid the area on West 45 Street to 48 Street on Broadway to 7th Avenue in Manhattan. New York police gave an "all clear" by 1:15 p.m., saying, "the package in Times Square has been cleared and deemed to be not suspicious." NEW YORK - Police on Thursday cleared Times Square amid a threat of a suspicious package before determining the area was safe only an hour later.ĭetective Hubert Reyes told USA TODAY there was a 911 call shortly after noon Thursday for the area of West 47th Street and 7th Avenue, the location of the iconic New York landmark.
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