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Second Suspicious Package Addressed to Rep. Maxine Waters Discovered - Reports

© AP Photo / Amy Harris/InvisionCongresswoman Maxine Waters seen at the ESSENCE Empowerment Experience at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on Saturday, July 1, 2017, in New Orleans
Congresswoman Maxine Waters seen at the ESSENCE Empowerment Experience at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on Saturday, July 1, 2017, in New Orleans - Sputnik International
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WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - An investigation of packages containing explosive devices that were sent to former government officials and media outlets this week is a top priority for the FBI, Director Christopher Wray said in a press release. Two such packages have reportedly been sent to Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters.

"This investigation is of the highest priority for the FBI," Wray said on Wednesday. "We have committed the full strength of the FBI’s resources and, together with our partners on our Joint Terrorism Task Forces, we will continue to work to identify and arrest whoever is responsible for sending these packages."

Exterior of one of the suspicious packages. Addresses have been removed to protect privacy. - Sputnik International
Bombs Sent to Elites May Serve as Pretext For Limiting Civil Liberties - Prof
The packages were mailed in manila envelopes containing "potentially destructive devices" in plastic bubble wraps this week to former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Former Attorney General Eric Holder, billionaire philanthropist George Soros and former CIA Director John Brennan, care of CNN, the release explained.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Explosives, Ginger Colbrun, said a second package addressed to Maxine Waters had been found at a postal facility in south central Los Angeles, CNN reported Wednesday. Colbrun told reportes the suspicious package matches the description of those mailed earlier to the prominent US political figures. The Los Angeles Police Department said the postal compound was evacuated while an investigation takes place.

READ MORE: Trump Says Violence Has No Place in US Politics After Democrats Receive Bombs

Earlier in the day, Capitol Hill police handling security for the US Congress have intercepted a suspicious package sent to Congresswoman Maxine Waters following reports of suspected explosive devices sent to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, CNN and others.

Waters, a Democratic congresswoman from California, has said that she "unequivocally" condemns the acts of violence after several packages with explosive devices were sent to US lawmakers and former senior officials.

The FBI warned Wednesday that additional packages could be en route to other targets and that the public should not touch, move or handle any suspicious or unknown packages.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday that he is deploying 100 additional National Guard troops and directing law enforcement to double security at significant locations throughout the state in light of the recent discovery of suspicious packages.

Members of the New York Police Department are seen outside the Time Warner Center after a suspicious package was found inside the CNN Headquarters in Manhattan - Sputnik International
CNN Slams Trump for 'Continued Attacks on the Media' After Bomb Scare
Enhanced security will be noticeable in areas like the John F. Kennedy International Airport, mass transit systems, bridges and tunnels, Cuomo said.

Trump condemned the mailing as despicable, saying the acts or threats of political violence of any kind have no place in the United States. Trump said no US government resource would be spared in getting to the bottom of the matter.

US Senate and House of Representatives Minority Leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi slammed in a joint statement on Wednesday Trump's comments on the wave of explosive device packages sent to various Democrats throughout the United States as "ring hollow" until he reverses the statements that condone violence.

READ MORE: US Secret Service Intercepts Suspicious Packages Addressed to Obama, Clintons

Pelosi and Schumer noted that Trump has time and again condoned physical violence with his words and actions, including expressing support for a congressman who body-slammed a reporter and for neo-Nazis who killed a young woman in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Vice President Mike Pence as well as White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders both said such acts of violence are unacceptable and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

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