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Man charged in mail-bomb plot is a Florida Trump supporter
WASHINGTON — Federal authorities have captured a Florida man with a criminal history and a
Justice Department officials on Friday announced five federal charges against Cesar Sayoc, 56, of Aventura, Florida, and revealed that DNA and a fingerprint found on an envelope package helped them identify the suspect after a five-day, coast-to-coast investigation. Even as he was arrested and charged, investigators scrutinized new suspicious packages believed to be tied to his plot.
FBI officials did not disclose a motive, although Attorney General Jeff Sessions suggested politics may have played a role, noting Sayoc appeared to be a “partisan.” Those who saw him in the
Sayoc’s social media profiles portray a deeply disaffected conservative who trafficked in online conspiracy theories, parody accounts and name-calling. He called a Florida school shooting survivor a “fake
An amateur body builder and former stripper who once spent time on probation for a bomb threat charge, Sayoc first registered as a Republican voter just ahead of the March 2016 Republican primary and quickly identified himself as a proud Trump supporter, tweeting and posting on Facebook videos that appear to show him at Trump rallies.
He appeared to be to living in his van, showering on the beach or at a local fitness
Sayoc’s arrest Friday was a major breakthrough in the nationwide manhunt following the discovery of explosive devices — none of which detonated — addressed to prominent Democrats and other frequent targets of conservative ire, including former President Barack Obama, former
The mail bombs, coming barely a week before major midterm elections, sparked a heated national conversation about the hard-edged political climate and Trump’s role in fanning the flames. The president as branded the media the “enemy of the people” and hurled harsh, personal insults at others targeted in the plot.
Shortly after Sayoc was detained, Trump declared that “we must never allow political violence to take root in America” and that Americans “must unify.”
Speaking later to reporters Friday evening before leaving for a political rally in North Carolina, said he knows Sayoc supported him but that he himself “bears no blame.” Hours earlier Trump had complained via tweet that “this ‘bomb’ stuff” was taking attention away from the upcoming election and that critics were wrongly blaming him.
FBI and police officials worked swiftly to untangle clues this week as the packages mounted, sometimes several in the same day.
The big break came when a fingerprint found on one of the packages, intended for California Rep. Maxine Waters, matched a fingerprint of Sayoc’s on file with Florida authorities. A DNA sample from a device intended for Obama similarly matched the suspect’s DNA, the FBI said.
An additional clue: Misspellings from his online posts matched mistakes found on the packages, according to an 11-page criminal complaint that included the formal charges of threatening former presidents and transporting explosives across state lines.
Some packages included photographs of the intended recipients marked with a red “x,” the FBI said. The packages contained timers and batteries, but were not rigged to explode upon opening. Officials were uncertain whether the devices were poorly designed or never intended to cause physical harm.
Authorities noted that they included “energetic material.” A footnote to the charging document said such explosive material “gives off heat and energy through a rapid exothermic reaction when initiated by heat, shock or friction.”
“These are not hoax devices,” FBI Director Chris Wray said.
Sayoc was arrested near an auto parts store in Plantation, Florida, north of Miami. Across the street, Thomas Fiori, a former federal law enforcement officer, said he saw about 50 armed officers swarm a man standing outside a white van. They ordered him to the ground, Fiori said, and he did not resist.
“He had that look of, ‘I’m done, I surrender,'” Fiori said.
Sayoc appears to have been living on the margins, regularly running into trouble with the law and struggling to make ends meet. He was repeatedly arrested for theft in the 1990s, faced felony charges of possession of anabolic steroids in 2004 and was convicted of grand theft in 2014. In 2002, he served a year of probation for a felony charge of threatening to throw or place a bomb.
His lawyer in that case said the charge stemmed from a heated conversation with a Florida utility representative.
Ronald Lowy, a Miami attorney, said Sayoc showed no ability at the time to back up his threat with any bomb-making expertise.
Sayoc had $4,175 in personal property and more than $21,000 in debts when filed for bankruptcy in 2012. “Debtor lives with mother, owns no furniture,” his lawyer indicated in a property list.
He had been an amateur body builder. More recently he was seen at an LA Fitness in Aventura, regularly showering at the gym but not working out, said Edgar Lopez, 48, a therapist who works out at the gym.
Marc Weiss saw Sayoc nearly every morning at 6 a.m. for the last four or five months
“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 Weiss, a 56-year-old building superintendent who has lived in the
Sayoc’s political awakening appears to have coincided with Trump’s rise. He registered to vote in Florida in March 2016 and has voted early since, records show.
Documents released Friday by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office show Sayoc reported in May 2015 that more than $40,000 in goods were stolen from his van and an attached trailer, including 11 pieces of Donald Trump-brand clothing valued at $7,150. Specifics are not included, but Trump has a line of suits, shirts, ties and accessories.
The report shows detectives were never able to confirm whether the theft actually happened, and no arrests were made.
Most of those targeted this week were past or present U.S. officials, but packages also were sent to actor Robert De Niro and billionaire George Soros. The bombs have been sent across the country — from New York, Delaware and Washington, D.C., to Florida and California, where Waters was targeted. They bore the return address of Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.
___
Associated Press writers Laurie Kellman, Ken Thomas, Jill Colvin, Michael Biesecker, Stephen Braun and Chad Day in Washington; Terry Spencer, Kelli Kennedy and Curt Anderson in Florida; Jim Mustian, Deepti Hajela, Tom Hays and Michael R. Sisak in New York and Raphael Satter in Paris contributed to this report.
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For the AP’s complete coverage of the mail-bomb scare: https://apnews.com/PipeBombAttacks
Michael Balsamo, Eric Tucker And Colleen Long, The Associated Press
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RCMP recruitment failure has Alberta advocacy group calling for Provincial Police Service
News release from Free Alberta Strategy (A Strong And Sovereign Alberta Within Canada)
“Make no mistake, we are paying for these services that we aren’t receiving. Alberta’s taxpayers are paying tens of millions of dollars for nearly 400 vacant RCMP officer positions – for boots that are not on the ground.”
A recent report from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)’s independent Management Advisory Board had findings that are nothing short of alarming:
“Federal policing has now arrived at a critical juncture of its sustainability, which present risks for the national security and safety of Canada, its people, and its interests,” says the report.
After over a year of diligent study, the Board has been tirelessly firing off flares, signalling to all who will listen: the very foundation of our national public safety apparatus may be at risk of faltering.
This is doubly problematic because, as you well know, the RCMP is also responsible for boots-on-the-ground policing in large parts of the country, including many rural and remote areas – including in Alberta.
Rural crime has been a longstanding issue in Alberta, and social disorder continues to make headlines nightly.
Alberta Minister of Public Safety, Mike Ellis, took to social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) to express his opinion:
“The independent report finds the RCMP has struggled in recent years to recruit and retain regular members, a problem that’s particularly acute in federal policing. This is not about the hard-working men and women on the frontline: they are doing everything they can. The reality is the RCMP do not have enough officers to police communities in Canada effectively.”
Ellis has been ahead of this story for months now.
In March, Ellis stated that:
“… on average, Alberta has an RCMP officer vacancy rate of 20 per cent. This means that Alberta is only being served by 1,522 of the 1,911 RCMP officers that the federal government has authorized for Alberta.”
“Make no mistake, we are paying for these services that we aren’t receiving. Alberta’s taxpayers are paying tens of millions of dollars for nearly 400 vacant RCMP officer positions – for boots that are not on the ground.”
The consequences of this capacity crisis are far-reaching.
Not only does it jeopardize the safety of Albertans, but it also undermines the credibility of Canada’s federal police force on the international stage.
With limited resources and personnel, the RCMP’s ability to address pressing national and global security concerns is severely compromised.
The Management Advisory Board, created in 2019 by the federal government to provide external advice to the RCMP commissioner, set up a task force in the fall of 2022 to study the federal policing program.
Overall, the report says budget and personnel shortfalls have left the RCMP “operationally limited,” restricting the number of cases it can take on annually.
Here are some more highlights from the report:
“Canada and its people have already begun to see the repercussions of the federal policing program being stretched thin.”
“Federal policing’s overall eroding capacity may have implications for the credibility of Canada’s federal police force and its investigations on the international stage.”
“Ultimately, this may influence Canada’s overall approach and standing in international politics, including its ability to advance global priorities.”
Clearly, we cannot afford to wait any longer.
Municipalities can ease the burden on our national security services by establishing municipal policing.
Several cities in Alberta already have their own police authorities, and the provincial government is providing funding for others interested in exploring this option.
Grande Prairie is already in the process of establishing their own municipal police service.
No word on how many other municipalities have taken the government up on their offer.
Unfortunately, President of Alberta Municipalities Tyler Gandam (also Mayor of Wetaskiwin) is featured prominently on the National Police Federation’s “Keep Alberta RCMP” website.
Interestingly, the Keep Alberta RCMP website doesn’t mention the fact that the advisory board even exists.
It doesn’t mention the report.
The notion that our federal policing infrastructure teeters on the brink of instability while Gandam appears to be asleep at the wheel, is deeply disconcerting.
The safety and security of Albertans must remain our top priority.
We cannot afford to wait any longer.
The time has come for the province to take swift and decisive measures to bolster policing capabilities in Alberta.
It’s time for Alberta to seriously consider the establishment of an Alberta Provincial Police Service.
It has been one of the core tenets of the Free Alberta Strategy.
If you agree, please reach out to your municipality and ask them to take steps to protect your community.
Together, we can keep Alberta safe.
Regards,
The Free Alberta Strategy Team
P.S. We’re hoping you’ll consider contributing to our cause. Your generous donation helps us make a positive impact in our community. No need to worry about any hold-ups or threats here. We’re just passionate about making a difference, and your support goes a long way in helping us achieve our goals.
Eavor announces it’s the #1 geothermal energy startup company in the world – January 2024
Alberta is creating Canada’s first geothermal test site to advance drilling innovation, reduce emissions and create jobs.
Geothermal energy uses naturally occurring heat within the earth to heat water and buildings and generate power, with few emissions or environmental impacts. Alberta has vast pockets of heat below ground, making the province Canada’s geothermal leader, but testing and developing new technologies can be a barrier for many companies. Unlike the United States, Japan and other countries, Canada does not currently have an open-access test site to help spur innovation.
Alberta is taking the first steps to create a new Alberta Drilling Accelerator. This groundbreaking facility would be the first of its kind in Canada, establishing Alberta as a global hub for geothermal technology. This will drive new innovations in geothermal and other clean energy projects that can reduce emissions and power communities around the world.
To kick-start the project, the Alberta government is investing $750,000 to conduct a feasibility study led by Calgary-based Eavor Technologies and other stakeholders. The study is the first step in assessing the proposed facility. It will include identifying a site, business planning, research on the governance model, an economic impact analysis and stakeholder engagement that will lay the groundwork for the initial planning stages of the project.
“Alberta has been a global energy leader for more than a century, renowned for our skilled workforce, innovation and one of the largest oil and gas reserves on the planet. The proposed Alberta Drilling Accelerator presents enormous potential to help our province lead the next wave of energy projects here at home and around the world that reduce emissions, create jobs and enhance energy security.”
The Alberta Drilling Accelerator would help companies test out and develop new geothermal drilling techniques or technologies to reduce emissions and drive growth across the clean energy sector. It would be an open-access, technology-agnostic drilling test facility capable of drilling in challenging environments, including deep depths, high temperatures and different rock types.
The accelerator also would help speed up the development of carbon capture, utilization and storage; helium; critical minerals; and other clean technologies and commodities that rely on Alberta’s drilling sector. All of this helps attract investment and bring new technologies to scale in Canada.
“With cumulative geothermal investment poised to reach $1 trillion by 2050, a geothermal arms race is very much underway to commercialize novel drilling techniques that accelerate geothermal development – exhibited by testing facilities in the United States, China and Iceland. As Canada’s first geothermal test bed, the Alberta Drilling Accelerator will help bring geothermal technologies to scale, supporting companies like Eavor. We commend the Government of Alberta for this bold initiative.”
“We are proud to witness Eavor, a CDL-Rockies alumni company, create new opportunities for innovators like themselves to advance the adoption of energy transition technologies like geothermal. The Alberta Drilling Accelerator will further solidify Alberta’s position as a leader in the global sustainable energy landscape.”
If the feasibility study shows the facility is economically and environmentally viable, and if the project is approved by the Alberta government, the facility will start taking shape at the selected site and drilling could start as early as 2025.
“Canada is home to the most advanced drilling technology in the world. Not only do our members support the responsible development of oil and gas, but we are integral in the extraction of new energy resources like geothermal and critical minerals. Our workers are at the epicentre of Canada’s energy transformation. Our people, technology and processes are leading the way towards a more diverse energy future. The Alberta Drilling Accelerator is a government-enabled policy approach to expand Alberta’s drilling capacity and reach its full potential as the world’s most diverse and technologically advanced producer and exporter of sustainable energy and critical minerals.”
“The Alberta Drilling Accelerator is a testament to Alberta’s innovative and entrepreneurial spirit. Leveraging our oil and gas sector expertise, Alberta is poised to become the global leader in developing new geothermal technologies that will play an integral role in reducing emissions while supporting job creation.”
Quick facts
- The Canadian Association of Energy Contractors estimates that one active drilling rig, whether drilling for natural gas or geothermal, creates approximately 220 direct and indirect jobs and
$1 million in tax revenue. - In 2019, Eavor received $2 million in provincial funding through Emissions Reduction Alberta and Alberta Innovates for the world’s first closed-loop geothermal system.
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