Bomb squad trucks seen outside the Time Warner building in New York City
Suspected explosive devices were sent to former US President Barack Obama and ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the US Secret Service has said.
It comes two days after a bomb was found at the home of liberal philanthropist and financier George Soros in the suburbs of New York City.
The devices were discovered by technicians who screen mails sent to the former US officials.
The Time Warner building in New York was also evacuated due to a package.
CNN, which is located in the Time Warner building, evacuated its newsroom over the incident, CNN President Jeff Zucker confirmed in a statement.
The suspicious package was discovered in the CNN’s mailroom, Bryan Paarmann, the FBI special agent in charge said on Wednesday.
At a news conference, police commissioner James O’Neill said law enforcement found an “envelope containing white powder” in the packaging of the device sent to CNN.
The powder is being investigated, but authorities found “no additional threats” after sweeping the area.
According to a statement from the US Secret Service, a package addressed to Mrs Clinton was recovered late on October 23.
“Early this morning, October 24, 2018, a second package addressed to the residence of Former President Barack Obama was intercepted by Secret Service personnel in Washington, DC,” the statement adds.
“Both packages were intercepted prior to being delivered to their intended location. The protectees did not receive the packages nor were they at risk of receiving them.”
One of the packages sent today had listed Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz as the sender.
A US official told the Associated Press that a “functional explosive device” was found during a screening of mail sent to the home of Mr and Mrs Clinton in Chappaqua, New York.
Speaking at a campaign event in Florida, Mrs Clinton thanked the Secret Service and said she and her family “are fine”.
“It is a troubling time,” she said. “It is a time of deep divisions and we have to do everything we can to bring our country together. We also have to elect candidates who will try to do the same.”
The FBI in New York said they were aware of the suspected packages, and that their Joint Terrorism Task force is aiding in the investigation.
A spokeswoman for Mr Obama declined to comment on the incident, and referred reporters to the Secret Service statement. -BBC
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