Federal authorities arrested Cesar Sayoc Jr. on Friday in Florida in connection with a series of mail bombs sent to CNN and several prominent Democrats this week.
Here’s what we know about Sayoc Jr. so far:
He’s a 56-year-old Florida resident that’s lived in several other states, including North Carolina, New Jersey, Michigan and New York, according to NBC News.
Sayoc Jr. is a registered Republican, according to the New York Times.
He also has a “lengthy criminal history,” according to the Times, dating back more than 25 years. He’s been arrested for felony theft, drug and fraud charges, and for threatening to use a bomb, the NYT reported.
Sayoc Jr. is the manager of Native American Catering & Vending in Hallandale Beach, Florida, according to business records obtained by the Miami Herald. Federal sources told the paper he lived in Aventura, Florida as of Friday.
Sayoc Jr.’s white van was covered with stickers promoting President Trump and other conservatives, according to the Sun-Sentinel in South Florida. Two law enforcement sources told CNN that investigators found “soldering equipment, stamps, envelopes, paper, a printer and powder” inside the van.
Sun-Sentinel also reports that according to corporate filings, Sayoc Jr. owns or manages two businesses, Native American Catering and Vending and Ver Tech AG, while AP reports that he is an amateur body builder and former stripper.
Several news outlets, including the New York Daily News, tweeted Sayoc Jr.’s mugshot, seen below:
PICTURED: Cesar Sayoc Jr., the Florida man and ex-Brooklynite arrested for sending pipe-bomb packages to prominent Democrats and Trump critics. https://t.co/D5xTOtY4x1 pic.twitter.com/NgLCwTyFDj
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) October 26, 2018
His arrest caps a week-long manhunt after a dozen mail bombs were sent to top Democrats, including former president Barack Obama and ex-secretary of state Hillary Clinton. On Wednesday, CNN also got a bomb resulting in the total evacuation of their New York headquarters.
“We must never allow political violence to take root in America, and I am committed to doing everything in my power as president to stop it now,” President Trump said on Friday.
Sayoc Jr. graduated from Brevard College in North Carolina in 1984, according to his LinkedIn account.
A Twitter account registered in his first and middle name routinely posted memes critical of Democrats.
More to come…