A court sentenced a Florida man and avowed Donald Trump supporter to 20 years in prison for sending bombs to Democrats and media. Fifty-seven-year-old Cesar Sayoc, who pleaded guilty to using weapons of mass destruction, began crying when US District Judge Jed Rakoff read the sentence Monday in Manhattan.

Defense lawyer Ian Marcus Amelkin blamed steroidal delusions for Sayoc's crimes. He said his client saw the president as a "father figure" and became obsessed with conspiracy theories about Trump's perceived enemies: "We believe that the president's rhetoric contributed to Mr. Sayoc's behavior."

Watch video 03:00 Share Right-wing terrorism Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3FBAW Bossong: 'Right-wing terrorism is a strategic threat'

Sayoc discovered Trump just as the disgraced former reality show host's political star had begun to rise. He shared images supportive of Trump on social media and posted articles from nationalist and conspiracy-driven websites such as Infowars and Breitbart. In one post he wore a "Make America Great Again" hat, and he reportedly ranted to colleagues about Jews, as well as black and LGBTQ+ people.

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He sent pipes stuffed with wires, powder, glass and alarm clocks to former President Barack Obama; former Vice President Joe Biden; former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her husband, Bill; Senators Cory Booker and Kamala Harris; and other high-profile figures. Officials intercepted the devices, which, federal investigators concluded, had no mechanism to trigger explosions and "would not have functioned as designed." The president's allies initially attempted to dissociate the administration from Sayoc until filmmaker Michael Moore released footage of the bomber attending a Trump rally, one month after the inauguration.

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Suspicious packages sent to US politicians, media outlets Police find suspected bombs across the US US authorities have intercepted several suspicious parcels addressed to top politicians in Washington DC, New York, and Florida, as well as the CNN's Manhattan offices. Police in New York said all of the examined devices appeared to be crude pipe bombs.

Suspicious packages sent to US politicians, media outlets Democrats targeted Many of the people who were mailed suspicious packages are high-profile Democrats. One alleged explosive device was addressed to 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. It was intercepted at a facility near her home outside New York, which she shares with her husband, former US president Bill Clinton.

Suspicious packages sent to US politicians, media outlets Obamas in crosshairs Police also intercepted a suspected pipe bomb addressed to former president Barack Obama at his private residence in Washington DC. No injuries have been reported in any of the cases; some items were investigated but found to be harmless.

Suspicious packages sent to US politicians, media outlets CNN evacuated American cable network CNN was forced to evacuate from its Manhattan offices after a parcel was found inside the building. The package was addressed to former CIA director John Brennan, who occasionally contributes to the network. Police eventually managed to remove the object safely.

Suspicious packages sent to US politicians, media outlets Cuomo slams parcels as 'terrorism' New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo reported that another parcel was mailed to his office, but this was later disputed by the police. The Democratic official described the wave of parcels as "terrorism" and said he would not be surprised if more were found.

Suspicious packages sent to US politicians, media outlets Return to sender Police in Florida are examining a suspicious package delivered to Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). However, some sources reported the package was addressed to former Attorney General Eric Holder, and had Schultz listed as sender.

Suspicious packages sent to US politicians, media outlets Starting with Soros The wave of suspicious packages started with US-Hungarian billionaire George Soros, who received a device believed to be a pipe bomb two days before similar parcels were discovered elsewhere. Police found the package at his residence in Katonah, outside of New York City.

Suspicious packages sent to US politicians, media outlets A bomb for Biden? A day after US police tracked down the package directed to Barack Obama, several media outlets reported that a suspicious parcel addressed to his vice president, Joe Biden, was also discovered in the US state of Delaware.

Suspicious packages sent to US politicians, media outlets De Niro feels the heat New York police discovered a suspicious package addressed to the famous Holywood actor Robert De Niro near the actor's restaurant in Manhattan. The 75-year-old film star has repeatedly slammed US President Donald Trump, calling him a "punk" and an "embarrassment to this country."

Suspicious packages sent to US politicians, media outlets Congresswoman Maxine Waters also under threat FBI said they were investigating two suspicious packages mailed to senior Democratic lawmaker Maxine Waters. The congresswoman was slammed by Trump as "an extraordinarily low IQ person" in July after she called opponents of Trump's migration policy to harass his Cabinet members. Author: Darko Janjevic



'Not so lost'

Prosecutors sought a life sentence; the defense wanted 10 years plus one month. Assistant US Attorney Jane Kim argued that Sayoc "set out to terrorize people."

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Amelkin, the defense attorney, said Sayoc, who lived in a van plastered with Trump stickers when he was arrested in 2018, struggled with disabilities, the effects of childhood abuse and social isolation. Sayoc himself expressed remorse shortly before the sentencing. "I am so very sorry for what I did," he said.

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In a handwritten letter to Judge Rakoff after his guilty plea on 65 counts — including using a weapon of mass destruction, illegal mailing of explosives and making threats — Sayoc called the bombs a "hoax."

Rakoff ruled that Sayoc wished victims "no good, but he was not so lost as to wish them dead — at least not by his own hand."

mkg/kl (Reuters, AFP, dpa, AP)

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