Authorities have arrested 56-year-old Florida resident Cesar Sayoc in connection with more than a dozen suspected mail-bomb devices sent to prominent Democrats and outspoken critics of President Trump this week. 
 
 A single fingerprint taken from a mail bomb sent to Rep. Maxine Waters helped investigators get a break in solving a terror plot that targeted senior Democrats and vocal opponents of President Trump, federal officials said. 
 
 That clue led investigators on Friday to a white van parked outside an AutoZone shop in Plantation, Fla. The van was plastered with images of Mr. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. It also had pictures of liberal figures in crosshairs. 
 
 ... ||||| (CNN) Cesar Sayoc was charged Friday with five federal crimes and faces up to 48 years in prison in connection to improvised explosive devices sent to prominent Democratic politicians, donors and CNN offices in New York. 
 
 Sayoc was arrested in a south Florida auto parts store Friday morning as additional explosive devices or suspicious packages were identified in New York and California. 
 
 A total of 13 bombs were mailed around the country, FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a new conferences, adding that there could be more packages not yet discovered. 
 
 "These are not hoax devices," Wray said. 
 
 Sayoc was charged with illegal mailing of explosives, threats against former presidents and others, and assaulting current and former federal officers, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said, adding that charges could change or expand as the investigation continues. He initially said Sayoc faced up to 58 years in prison, but the Justice Department later revised that figure to 48. 
 
 "This is a law-and-order administration," Sessions said at the Justice Department. "We will not tolerate such lawlessness, especially not political violence." 
 
 Speaking at the White House Friday afternoon, President Donald Trump congratulated law enforcement on the arrest and denounced what he called "terrorizing acts." He also called for unity: "peace and love and harmony as fellow Americans." 
 
 "We must never allow political violence to take root in America," Trump said at one point. "I'm committed to doing everything in my power as President to stop it." 
 
 As the situation initially unfolded mid-morning -- before the arrest was announced -- the President complained on Twitter that the news media was busy reporting on "'Bomb' stuff" and not politics. 
 
 "Republicans are doing so well in early voting, and at the polls, and now this 'Bomb' stuff happens and the momentum greatly slows - news not talking politics. Very unfortunate, what is going on. Republicans, go out and vote!" Trump tweeted. 
 
 Sessions said a political motive was not immediately known. 
 
 Asked why the targets were Democrats or Trump critics, Sessions said, "I don't know. Other than what you might normally expect. He may have been -- appears to be partisan but that will be determined by the facts as the case goes forward." 
 
 Sayoc's social media accounts showed he was a fervent supporter of Trump and had posted criticism of CNN and other media outlets. Among the posts were threats to individual political figures and media outlets, including CNN and CNN employees. 
 
 Trump told reporters Friday on the South Lawn he had heard Sayoc was a supporter of his, but that didn't mean much to the President. 
 
 "I heard he was a person who prefers me over others, but I did not see that," Trump said when asked about images of Trump on Sayoc's van. 
 
 The President added, "There's no blame, there's no anything." 
 
 Sayoc initially cooperative after arrest 
 
 JUST WATCHED Trump praises law enforcement for arrest Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Trump praises law enforcement for arrest 02:08 
 
 FBI agents used flash bangs to arrest Sayoc and took him into custody near an AutoZone store in Plantation, a law enforcement official said. He was initially cooperative and told investigators that the pipe bombs wouldn't have hurt anyone and that he didn't want to harm anyone, the official added. 
 
 A white van -- adorned with images of Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, as well as a "CNN Sucks" sticker -- in Plantation was towed away Friday to Miramar, Florida, where an FBI field office is located. The official said Sayoc had been kicked out by his parents and was living in the van. 
 
 He later retained an attorney so police questioning has ceased, the official added. 
 
 DNA found on at least one of the packages, as well as Sayoc's cell phone, helped investigators identify him, multiple law enforcement officials said. 
 
 Previous arrests 
 
 Sayoc was not previously known to the Secret Service, law enforcement sources said, but Florida records show a string of arrests dating back to the early 1990s. 
 
 Notable among them is a 2002 arrest by Miami police for an offense described in online records as a "threat to bomb" and "threaten to discharge destructive device." A police report at the time shows that he threatened to blow up a power company and that "it would be worse than September 11th." 
 
 Cesar Sayoc is shown in this undated photo. 
 
 Sayoc pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year of probation, records show. 
 
 The records show a total of eight arrests for offenses, including grand theft, battery, fraud and drug possession, as well as multiple probation violations. In 2014, he was arrested after stealing copper pipes at a Home Depot, to which he plead guilty. 
 
 The adjudication of each of the arrests could not immediately be determined from the summary of offenses provided by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Sayoc appears to have pleaded no contest to some offenses. Prosecutors appear to have dropped charges in other matters. 
 
 Sayoc also was arrested in North Carolina in 1999 on a stolen vehicle charge, which was later dismissed. 
 
 Florida voting records show Sayoc is a registered Republican. He filed for bankruptcy in 2012. 
 
 New packages Friday 
 
 JUST WATCHED New suspicious packages addressed to Booker, Clapper Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH New suspicious packages addressed to Booker, Clapper 02:01 
 
 Earlier Friday, authorities intercepted suspicious packages intended for Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey; former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper; Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California; and major Democratic donor Tom Steyer, the latest to be sent to prominent Democrats and critics of Trump that were discovered earlier this week. 
 
 Authorities believe the package addressed to Steyer is from Sayoc, according to multiple law enforcement officials. 
 
 This brings the total number of known packages sent by Sayoc to 14. However, he's been charged with sending only 13 packages. 
 
 One of the officials says the package has been rendered safe and will be transported to the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, for analysis. 
 
 The FBI said Friday that the package addressed to Booker was discovered in Florida and is "similar in appearance to the others." Sources told CNN the package was addressed to the senator's Camden, New Jersey, office. Booker confirmed the package was intended for him but declined to comment further to CNN. The packages intended for Harris and Steyer were discovered in California, law enforcement sources said. 
 
 The package intended for Clapper also was addressed to CNN, a law enforcement official said. It was found at a New York City postal facility and was similar to the other packages, the official added. 
 
 The Clapper package arrived in a manila envelope with six US flag stamps, just like others discovered this week. The return address is that of Florida Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz's Florida office, which was the address on packages intended for former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Joe Biden, billionaire and Democratic donor George Soros, actor Robert De Niro, former Attorney General Eric Holder, 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and former CIA Director John Brennan. There is no information that suggests Wasserman Schultz sent them. 
 
 Clapper, who has frequently criticized Trump, vowed to CNN Friday morning that he wouldn't be intimidated in light of the discovery. 
 
 "I do want to just echo one thing that John Brennan said and that this is not going to silence the administration's critics," Clapper said. 
 
 This story is breaking and will be updated. ||||| Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. 
 
 Oct. 26, 2018, 4:00 PM GMT / Updated Oct. 26, 2018, 11:58 PM GMT By Pete Williams, Rich Schapiro, Adiel Kaplan and Corky Siemaszko 
 
 The Florida man charged Friday with sending more than a dozen pipe bomb packages to prominent critics of President Donald Trump was a bulked-up, down-on-his luck former stripper with a right-wing bent who had been living in his van. 
 
 DNA evidence played a role in the arrest of 56-year-old Cesar Altieri Sayoc, whose past criminal history includes an arrest for making a bomb threat — and who, according to a cousin, also worked as a bouncer in a number of strip clubs and described black people during a 2014 conversation using a racist term in Italian slang. 
 
 "I said, ‘What do you hate for?’” recalled the cousin, Lenny Altieri — who noted that Sayoc is part Italian and part Filipino. "He got very upset with me and that was the last time we spoke." 
 
 "I couldn’t understand why he’d say something like that," Altieri added. “He’s multi-racial himself." 
 
 At least six of Cesar Sayoc's booking photos. Top row: 2002, Feb. 15, 2004, April 14, 2004; bottom row: Aug. 31, 2005, Jan. 27, 2015, Aug. 30, 2015. Broward County Sheriff's Office, Hennepin County Sheriff's Office 
 
 Sayoc was hit with multiple federal charges, including making "threats against former presidents," in connection with the pipe bombing campaign that could send him to jail for up to 48 years. Nobody was hurt, but the bombs were real, officials said. 
 
 "These are not hoax devices," FBI Director Christopher Wray said. 
 
 Earlier, the suspect's white van, which had pictures of Trump and the presidential seal plastered to the windows, was seized by the officials and hauled off to a secure facility in Plantation, Florida. 
 
 In Washington, Trump praised the FBI and Secret Service for the swift arrest. 
 
 "It’s like a needle in a haystack," Trump said. "And they have done an incredible, incredible job." 
 
 A registered Republican, Sayoc appeared to attend a Trump rally in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 2016. His Facebook page and Twitter accounts contained several postings in support of Trump. 
 
 There were also several on his Facebook pages critical of George Soros, the liberal philanthropist who also was targeted with one of the package bombs earlier this week. The account handles were equally ominous — “Killgeorge Soros” and “Killall Socialist.” 
 
 A Facebook spokesperson said Sayoc's page was taken down after it was flagged. 
 
 "In line with our policies, as our community standards explain, we do not allow praise or support for horrendous acts like these," the spokesperson said. "We also do not allow the suspect to maintain a presence on our site, so we’ve removed his account." 
 
 Altieri said Sayoc was born in Brooklyn but moved to Florida as a child and grew up in North Miami Beach. 
 
 Sayoc has a criminal record in Florida and was arrested in 2002 for making a bomb threat, according to Miami-Dade County court records. He pleaded guilty. There were also two arrests, one in 1992 and the other in 2014, for petit theft. 
 
 In the later theft case, Sayoc tried to walk out of a Walmart with a shopping cart filled with $239 worth of merchandise, according to an arrest affidavit. 
 
 In 2015, Sayoc was convicted of stealing a heavy rolling briefcase and a garment bag from Walmart worth $58. 
 
 Sayoc also had a misdemeanor arrest on his record in North Carolina, where he was charged in 1999 for possession of stolen car, records show. And in 1995, he was charged in Minnesota with theft and possession of crack cocaine. 
 
 In May 2015, Sayoc also said that he was the victim of a robbery, according to a Broward County Sheriff’s report obtained by NBC News. The report says that 11 items of clothing worth roughly $7,000 were taken from Sayoc. 
 
 Listed under the “make” section of the report, describing the nature of the clothing, was the president’s name — “Donald Trump.” 
 
 The 2002 mug shot of Cesar Sayoc when he made a bomb threat in Miami. Miami-Dade Police Department 
 
 The suspect also appeared to have money troubles. Records revealed he had a property foreclosed on in 2009 and filed for bankruptcy in 2012. At the time, he was living with his mother and employed as a grocery store manager, records show. 
 
 But of late, Sayoc had been living in his van and showering at the gym where he works out, a Florida-based cousin told NBC News. 
 
 Sayoc played soccer for one semester at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1983. "He was a good kid and a hard worker," former teammate Philip Drosdick said. 
 
 But Drosdick said their relationship took a bizarre turn after he left UNCC for the University of Central Florida and Sayoc followed. He said Sayoc suspected he had stolen his favorite jacket and took revenge by sneaking into his room, grabbing one shoe of every pair he had as well as his mattress, several jackets and pants, and his $350 surfboard. 
 
 Drosdick said he found most of his stuff in a shed. "I've not seen Cesar or my surfboard since then, " he said. 
 
 Records show that Sayoc also lived for a time in New Jersey, Michigan and Brooklyn, New York. 
 
 On Facebook, Sayoc also claimed to be a booking agent with the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. A spokesperson for the tribe told NBC News that Sayoc was not a member and had never been employed at the casino. 
 
 It was not immediately clear if Sayoc has Native American ancestry. But he named the two businesses he operated for a time Native American Catering & Vending and Proud Native America One Low Price Drycleaning, according to Florida business records. 
 
 On his LinkedIn page, Sayoc listed himself as Cesar Altieri and claimed to have worked for Chippendales. After word of this leaked out, the male striptease dance troupe quickly issued a statement declaring that Sayoc "has never been affiliated in any way with Chippendale USA, LLC." 
 
 Sayoc grew up in North Miami Beach with his two sisters and was thrown out of his house as a teenager, the cousin, Lenny Altieri, said. 
 
 He described him as a "loose cannon" and a "lost soul" who was estranged from his family and had been abusing steroids. 
 
 Cesar Sayoc Jr. at a Trump rally. via Facebook 
 
 "He's been in the strip clubs since he was 22, that was his life," Altieri said. "He was a male dancer and he wanted to be a wrestler. He was taking steroids. He was all buffed up. ... He was built like a rock." 
 
 Another cousin, who lives in another state, told NBC News she was stunned by Sayoc's arrest. 
 
 "Oh my God," the woman, who asked not to be identified, said. "He's always been a very nice, thoughtful person. I don't know anything about this. It's shocking." 
 
 The cousin said that she hadn't seen Sayoc for two decades but that he called her recently after her father died. 
 
 "It was mostly just small talk," she said. "How's your family, that kind of thing. I don't really know that much about him. We have a very big family." ||||| New York City police officers clear the scene after a report of a possible suspicious package was called in at the Time Warner Center Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018, in New York. The NYPD had said it had evaluated... (Associated Press) 
 
 New York City police officers clear the scene after a report of a possible suspicious package was called in at the Time Warner Center Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018, in New York. The NYPD had said it had evaluated the packages "as a precaution" on Thursday night. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle) (Associated Press) 
 
 WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal authorities took a man into custody Friday in Florida in connection with the mail-bomb scare that earlier widened to 12 suspicious packages, the FBI and Justice Department said. 
 
 The man was identified by law enforcement officials as Cesar Sayoc, 56, of Aventura, Florida. He was arrested at an auto parts store in the nearby city of Plantation. 
 
 Court records show Sayoc has a history of arrests. 
 
 Law enforcement officers were seen on television examining a white van, its windows covered with an assortment of stickers, in the city of Plantation in the Miami area. Authorities covered the vehicle with a blue tarp and took it away on the back of a flatbed truck. 
 
 The stickers included images of American flags and what appeared to be logos of the Republican National Committee and CNN, though the writing surrounding those images was unclear. 
 
 President Donald Trump said he expected to speak about the investigation at a youth summit on Friday. 
 
 The development came amid a coast-to-coast manhunt for the person responsible for a series of explosive devices addressed to Democrats including former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton. 
 
 Law enforcement officials said they had intercepted a dozen packages in states across the country. None had exploded, and it wasn't immediately clear if they were intended to cause physical harm or simply sow fear and anxiety. 
 
 Earlier Friday, authorities said suspicious packages addressed to New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and former National Intelligence Director James Clapper — both similar to those containing pipe bombs sent to other prominent critics of President Donald Trump— had been intercepted. 
 
 Investigators believe the mailings were staggered. The U.S. Postal Service searched their facilities 48 hours ago and the most recent packages didn't turn up. Officials don't think they were sitting in the system without being spotted. They were working to determine for sure. The officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. 
 
 The FBI said the package to Booker was intercepted in Florida. The one discovered at a Manhattan postal facility was addressed to Clapper at CNN's address. An earlier package had been sent to former Obama CIA Director John Brennan via CNN in New York. 
 
 Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Friday the Justice Department was dedicating every available resource to the investigation "and I can tell you this: We will find the person or persons responsible. We will bring them to justice." 
 
 Trump, on the other hand, complained that "this 'bomb' stuff" was taking attention away from the upcoming election and said critics were wrongly blaming him and his heated rhetoric. 
 
 Investigators were analyzing the innards of the crude devices to reveal whether they were intended to detonate or simply sow fear just before Election Day. 
 
 Law enforcement officials told The Associated Press that the devices, containing timers and batteries, were not rigged to explode upon opening. But they were uncertain whether the devices were poorly designed or never intended to cause physical harm. 
 
 Most of those targeted were past or present U.S. officials, but one was 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 Rep. Maxine Waters was targeted. They bore the return address of Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. 
 
 The common thread among the bomb targets was obvious: their critical words for Trump and his frequent, harsher criticism in return. 
 
 Trump claimed Friday he was being blamed for the mail bombs, complaining in a tweet sent before dawn: "Funny how lowly rated CNN, and others, can criticize me at will, even blaming me for the current spate of Bombs and ridiculously comparing this to September 11th and the Oklahoma City bombing, yet when I criticize them they go wild and scream, 'it's just not Presidential!'" 
 
 The package to Clapper was addressed to him at CNN's Midtown Manhattan address. Clapper, a frequent Trump critic, told CNN that he was not surprised he was targeted and that he considered the actions "definitely domestic terrorism." 
 
 Jeff Zucker, the president of CNN Worldwide, said in a note to staff that all mail to CNN domestic offices was being screened at off-site facilities. He said there was no imminent danger to the Time Warner Center, where CNN's New York office is located. 
 
 At a press conference Thursday, officials in New York would not discuss possible motives or details on how the packages found their way into the postal system. Nor would they say why the packages hadn't detonated, but they stressed they were still treating them as "live devices." 
 
 The devices were packaged in manila envelopes and carried U.S. postage stamps. They were being examined by technicians at the FBI's forensic lab in Quantico, Virginia. 
 
 The packages stoked nationwide tensions ahead of the Nov. 6 election to determine control of Congress — a campaign both major political parties have described in near-apocalyptic terms. Politicians from both parties used the threats to decry a toxic political climate and lay blame. 
 
 Trump, in a tweet Thursday, blamed the "Mainstream Media" for the anger in society. Brennan responded, tweeting that Trump should "Stop blaming others. Look in the mirror." 
 
 The bombs are about 6 inches (15 centimeters) long and packed with powder and broken glass, according to a law enforcement official who viewed X-ray images. The official said the devices were made from PVC pipe and covered with black tape. 
 
 The first bomb discovered was delivered Monday to the suburban New York compound of Soros, a major contributor to Democratic causes. Soros has called Trump's presidency "dangerous." 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press writers Laurie Kellman, Ken Thomas, Jill Colvin and Chad Day in Washington and Jim Mustian, Deepti Hajela, Tom Hays and Michael R. Sisak in New York contributed to this report. 
 
 ___ 
 
 For the AP's complete coverage of the mail-bomb scare: https://apnews.com/PipeBombAttacks ||||| An outspoken supporter of President Trump from South Florida was charged on Friday with sending explosive packages to at least a dozen of the president’s critics, apparently bringing to a close an attempted bombing spree that has gripped the country just ahead of the midterm elections. 
 
 The suspect, Cesar Altieri Sayoc Jr., 56, was arrested outside an auto parts store near Fort Lauderdale after a fast-moving investigation in which the authorities said they were able to pull a fingerprint from one of the bomb packages and collect Mr. Sayoc’s DNA from two others. 
 
 Mr. Sayoc, who seemed to be living out of a van in Aventura, Fla., was taken into custody on a day when four more explosive packages were found, including two intended for United States senators, both Democrats. 
 
 A federal criminal complaint spells out his contempt for this week’s many bomb targets, noting that Mr. Sayoc’s van was slathered with images and slogans often found on fringe right-wing social media accounts.
– An arrest has been made tied to the mail bombs being sent around the nation. Multiple sources tell CNN a man was taken into custody Friday. He has been identified as 56-year-old Cesar Sayoc Jr. of Aventura, Florida, and DNA evidence helped lead investigators to him, per NBC News and the AP. A white van believed to be linked to Sayoc, which was reported to be adorned with Trump pictures and the presidential seal, was impounded by law enforcement officials and taken to a "secure facility." The New York Times reports the arrest in Florida came just hours after two more devices had been intercepted by the FBI: one meant for New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, and another for ex-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. Law enforcement officials say Sayoc is a store manager in Florida, per the Wall Street Journal. Online court records show Sayoc was arrested in Miami in 2002 for making a bomb threat and received a year's probation; court records tie at least two other criminal cases in the Miami area to Sayoc. A DOJ spokeswoman announced that a press conference regarding the arrest will be held Friday at 2:30pm EDT.