A BODYBUILDING former stripper charged over the 'MAGA bomber' pipe bomb spree was caught because of a single fingerprint, the director of the FBI has revealed.
Federal agents snared Cesar Sayoc, 56, yesterday in Plantation, Florida before cops searched his van which was covered instickers supporting Donald Trump.
35
The New York-born registered Republican is suspected of sending 13 explosives devices to vocal critics of President Trump including Barack Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton and actor Robert De Niro.
In a news conference in Washington, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the terror suspect has been charged with five federal crimes and if convicted could face 58 years in prison.
FBI Director Christopher Wray also spoke to reporters warning the US public to stay vigilant as other packages may still be in transit or in mail facilities around the country.
He added that the bombs were “not hoax devices” while revealing that Sayoc’s fingerprints were found on the package sent to Democratic congresswoman Maxine Waters.
Snared 'MAGA Bomber' suspect arrested in Florida over 12 pipe bombs sent to Trump haters
35
35
35
35
35
35
35
35
35
Investigators then found DNA on two other packages which matched a sample taken from the suspect in a prior arrest.
Wray described the bombs as “IEDs”, meaning improvised explosive devices, while adding that at least 13 bombs were sent out across the United States.
The suspect is understood to be a strip club worker with prior arrests for terror related offences who has previously lived in New York.
Last night, his family's lawyers revealed he was abandoned by his parents and "found a father" in Trump.
Ronald Lowy added: “He doesn’t seem to recognize reality. He lives in a fantasy world.
“The signs of mental illness are clearly there.”
Following his arrest, officers were seen inspecting a van covered in political slogans including stickers showing Democrats Clinton and Obama - both of who were pipe bomb targets - with crosshairs on their faces.
Former Congress Press Secretary turned political commentator Rochelle Ritchie has claimed she was threatened by Sayoc on Twitter after she appeared on television earlier this month.
Ms Ritchie said she complained to the social network about the strip club worker's chilling remarks but that no action was taken by microblogging site.
35
35
According to his Facebook page, Sayoc is a Trump supporter of Native American heritage who enjoys bodybuilding.
His cousinLenny Altieri told the Associated Press that the 56-year-old is a former stripper who he described as a "lunatic."
He said Sayoc's only connection to Native Americans was that he once dated a member of a tribe.
The relative said that the terror suspect's mother was Italian and his biological father was Filipino who separated when he was a young boy.
After his parents split up, Sayoc was "kind of rejected" by his family,Altieri added.
Profile of a terror suspect
Sayoc has been described as a “loner” and a “lunatic” by some of those who knew him.
His attorney Ronald Lowy, who represented him in his 2002 bomb threat case, described the terror suspect as "a confused man who had trouble controlling his emotions."
A cousin of Sayoc, Lenny Altieri said: "I know the guy is a lunatic. He has been a loner."
Altieri confirmed that Sayoc had been a stripper. On an online resume, Sayoc described himself as a booker and promoter for burlesque shows.
Florida voter records show Sayoc first registered in March 2016 as a Republican and cast a ballot in that November's presidential election.
Sayoc lived in a white 2002 Dodge Ram van
His 2002 Dodge Ram van, which he is said to have slept in, was often parked outside an LA Fitness in Aventura – gym users say they frequently saw him in the locker room.
"He'd just be walking straight to the shower and be in the shower forever," said Edgar Lopez, who often exercises at the gym. "I never saw him working out."
The van was also often seen parked at a nearby beach before dawn, with Sayoc stripping down to skin-tight shorts for an outdoor shower.
"I've seen the guy maybe 80 times and I never said a word to him because I had a feeling he was a little off," said Marc Weiss, the superintendent of a building near where Sayoc frequently parked.
"I assumed because he was showering at the beach that he was homeless,” he added.
In 2015, he reported to police that his van was broken into outside of a gym in Oakland Park, Florida.
He claimed that more than $40,000 worth of items were stolen, including $7,150 worth of Donald Trump-brand suits.
35
35
35
35
35
Facebook images have emerged of the terror suspect attending rallies supporting the US President.
New York-born Sayoc, who moved to Miami in the 1980s, has a lengthy wrap sheet - including being detained for making a bomb threat, theft and battery, reportstheNew York Post.
In 2002, he was convicted of a threat to “throw, place, project or discharge any destructive device” in Dade County, Florida, court documents show.
A 2012 Miami bankruptcy petition filed noted that he lived with his mum and “has no furniture,” according to the New York Times.
His social media accounts are filled with fake memes and conspiracy theories involving Trump's opponents and even includes posts attacking the relatives of the Parkland school shooting victims.
A twisted conspiracy theorist
Sayoc's media diet appears to have consisted of a toxic mixture of conspiracy theory, parody accounts and partisan news sites.
One of his most favoured recent sources was a Twitter account that spread hoaxes about the Parkland High School shooting in Florida earlier this year.
He tweeted at least 40 times a screenshot of a meme featuring the transparently false claim that Parkland mass-shooting survivor David Hogg never went to Stoneman Douglas High School.
Sayoc also claimed Hogg was a “a George Soros paid protester."
He even tweeted out a wildly false claim that German leader Angela Merkel had been conceived using Adolf Hitler's frozen sperm.
35
35
35
He was arrested by federal cops at an auto parts store in the city of Plantation.
The so called "MAGA bomber" sent devices to a dozen public figures who have been vocal critics of the Trump and his policies.
Two packages were discovered today in the Sunshine State addressed to Democratic Senator Corey Booker and former National Intelligence Director James Clapper.
The investigation into this week's wave of suspicious packages had focused on southern Florida and a mail sorting facility in the area.
A history of criminality
In the 2002 bomb threat case, Sayochad lashed out at a Florida utility representative because his electricity service was about to be cut off.
The arrest report said he threatened in a phone call to blow up the utility's offices and said that "It would be worse than September 11th."
Sayoc was also convicted in 2014 for grand theft and in 2013 for battery.
In 2004, he faced several felony charges for unlawful possession of a synthetic anabolic steroid often used to help build muscles.
He also had several arrests going back to the 1990s for theft, obtaining fraudulent refunds and tampering with evidence.
His former lawyer Ronald Lowy said he recalled that Sayoc also had a run-in with authorities where he was charged with possessing a fake driver's license after altering his birthdate to make him appear younger.
35
35
Along with the Clintons and the Obamas, former Vice President Joe Biden and Oscar winning actor De Niro have all been targeted in the wave of mail bombs.
Other targets have included billionaire George Soros, CNN's New York studios, congresswomen Waters and Debbie Wasserman Shultz, as well as Obama's former Attorney General Eric Holder.
Addressing the Young Black Leadership Summit, Trump spoke about the arrest of the terror suspect while praising police.
35
35
College drop-out
Sayocenrolled at Brevard College in North Carolina in 1980 and attended for three semesters, said the school's director of communications.
He then transferred to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, enrolling for the 1983-84 academic year.
Buffie Stephens, director of media relations for the school, said Sayoc didn't declare a major.
He played a few games as a walk-on player for the university's men's soccer team.
There is no indication he ever completed a degree.
He moved to the Miami suburbs in the late 1980s.
He said: "I am pleased to inform you that law enforcement has apprehended the suspect and taken him into custody. It was an incredible job by law enforcement
“These terrorising acts are despicable and have no place in our country.
“I have instructed authorities to spare no resource or expense in finding those responsible and bring them to swift and certain justice. And we will prosecute them, him… her, whoever it may be to the full extent of the law.
Donald Trump says that a person suspected to be responsible for sending package bombs to high-profile people has been apprehended
35
35
35
35
35
35
35
35
“We must never allow political violence to take root in America and I committed to doing everything in my power as president to stop it and to stop it now.
“The bottom line is that Americans must unify and we must show the world that we are united together in peace and love and harmony as fellow Americans citizens.
“There’s no country like our country and every day we are showing the world how great we are.”
No one had claimed responsibility for parcel bombs which were slammed as terrorism by both Democrats and Republicans.
35
35
MOST READ IN NEWS
HORROR PLUNGE Boy, 15, falls 60ft off cliff on school trip while having photo taken by pal
SEARCH CONTINUES Brit police offer to help find missing teen - but Tenerife cops refuse
TEEN MYSTERY Jay Slater search focusing on area of Tenerife dubbed 'the badlands' by locals
CLOSING IN Jay Slater spotted ‘walking fast’ by owner of flat that Brit vanished from
The attempted bombing campaign comes less than two weeks ahead of US congressional elections that could alter the balance of power in Washington.
This week a series of pipe bombs were posted - none of which went off - in what has become known as the "MAGA bomber" spree.
The devices are made from PVC tubing attached to a digital clock, and were reportedly packed with sulphur as explosives and shards of glass as shrapnel.
They also included a battery as well as wiring to spark the explosion.
Police and FBI remove van of 'MAGA bomber' suspect after he is arrested in Florida
