Ex-bosses of US mail bombing suspect Cesar Sayoc have been painting very different pictures when asked about him.

The 56-year-old, who was arrested in Florida, faces five charges including mailing explosives and threatening ex-presidents.

Items have been sent in recent days to figures including ex-President Barack Obama and actor Robert de Niro.

The incidents come less than two weeks before the US mid-term elections, with politics highly polarised.