Authorities discovered and disposed of an explosive device found in a mailbox outside a home of billionaire George Soros on Monday, The New York Times reported.

An employee at Soros's home in Westchester County, N.Y., found what appeared to be an explosive device in a mailbox before placing it in a wooded area and contacting police, authorities told the Times.

The newspaper reported that a bomb squad arrived and "proactively detonated" the device.

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Soros was not home at the time of the incident, and the investigation has reportedly been turned over to the FBI.

"We are conducting an investigation at and around a residence in Bedford, NY. There is no threat to public safety, and we have no further comment at this time," the bureau's New York office wrote in a tweet late Monday.

We are conducting an investigation at and around a residence in Bedford, NY. There is no threat to public safety, and we have no further comment at this time. — FBI New York (@NewYorkFBI) October 23, 2018

Right-wing groups and some Republican politicians have recently increased their criticism of Soros, a billionaire philanthropist who has supported liberal causes, human rights efforts and Democratic politicians.

Some conservatives have painted Soros as a villain associated with conspiratorial plots and subjected him to anti-Semitic slurs. Roseanne Barr falsely claimed Soros is a Nazi in a May tweet that was shared by the president's son, Donald Trump Jr. Don John Trump'Tiger King' star Joe Exotic requests pardon from Trump: 'Be my hero please' Zaid Jilani discusses Trump's move to cancel racial sensitivity training at federal agencies Trump International Hotel in Vancouver closes permanently MORE

Rep. Matt Gaetz Matthew (Matt) GaetzTrump faces tricky choice on Supreme Court pick Florida attorney general scrutinizing Bloomberg paying fines for felons to vote Lara Trump campaigns with far-right activist candidate Laura Loomer in Florida MORE (R-Fla.) promoted a conspiracy theory on Twitter last week suggesting that Soros was funding a "caravan" of Central American migrants journeying toward the U.S. border. The accompanying video, which purported to show migrants being paid to flee for the U.S., was shared by President Trump Donald John TrumpSteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Trump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance MORE.

The president has repeatedly suggested that Democrats are responsible for the caravan, while offering no proof for his claim. He has harped on the issue to stoke fear about a potential influx of illegal immigrants just weeks before the midterm elections.