Device found outside George Soros' home had components of a bomb
BEDFORD, N.Y. — A device found outside a suburban New York residential compound owned by liberal philanthropist George Soros "had the components" of an actual bomb, including explosive powder, a law enforcement official said Tuesday.
"The components were there for an explosive device," said the official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the continuing investigation. "It was not a hoax device." Sources told CBS New York it was similar in nature to a pipe bomb.
The official said the investigators were reviewing surveillance video Tuesday to determine whether the package had been sent through the mail or otherwise delivered. Among the unanswered questions was whether the package was addressed to Soros, the billionaire who is a frequent target of right-wing conspiracy theories.
The Bedford Police Department said it responded to the address in the hamlet of Katonah, part of the Town of Bedford, at 3:45 p.m. A security officer who worked at the compound placed the package in a wooded area and called police, who alerted the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Bedford police said the FBI's terrorism task force was investigating. The FBI's New York field office said on Twitter that there was "no threat to public safety."
We are conducting an investigation at and around a residence in Bedford, NY. There is no threat to public safety, and we have no further comment at this time.
— FBI New York (@NewYorkFBI) October 23, 2018
A message emailed to Soros' foundation wasn't immediately returned.
Soros, who made his fortune in hedge funds, frequently donates to liberal causes and is vilified on the right. Last week, Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz posted a video on Twitter allegedly showing migrants in a caravan headed toward the U.S. being paid. Gaetz suggested in an accompanying tweet that they were paid by Soros. The video was retweeted by President Trump.
Some have also falsely accused him of being a Nazi collaborator during World War II, when he was a child in Hungary. Activists frequently post the addresses of homes he owns in Westchester County on social media, sometimes with ill wishes.