Miami incident: Suspicious package found at offices of Miami-Dade Democrat Party

Police cautious after string of explosive devices sent to prominent Democrats

Police are investigating a suspicious package sent to the offices of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party.

It comes two days after a 15th suspicious package was intercepted in Atlanta on its way to the CNN headquarters - what was the latest in a series of packages containing suspected pipe bombs and sent to prominent Democrats and critics of Donald Trump.

CNN president Jeff Zucker said as of last week all domestic mail addressed to the news network is screened at off-site locations after it received two other packages addressed to the network's contributors, and bomb squads were called to the Atlanta post office where the package was detected.

The package in Miami was sent to the Democrat organisations office inside the CIC Miami building, where the local police bomb squad is investigating it.

Police confirmed members of the organisation were not expecting a package and thus found it suspicious.

Ricky Junquera, Vice Chair for the Democratic party of Miami Dade County, said in a statement: "Given the events of last week, we are on high alert at our office and reported to building management, who notified police, after receiving a package from an unrecognised sender. We are grateful for the first responders and police who work so diligently to keep us safe".

Traffic in the surrounding area has been blocked off as a precaution.

Police have not confirmed a connection between last week's incidents and this as yet but yet another suspicious package was found by the California Democratic Party Headquarters located in the state capital of Sacramento.

The party organisation tweeted it received it "in the mail, which we reported to law enforcement out of an abundance of caution. We have evacuated (sic) our headquarters building as a safety (sic) precaution, and law enforcement is presently addressing the situation"

Cesar Sayoc of Aventura, Florida, is suspected of sending up to 15 packages containing explosive devices addressed to Bill and Hillary Clinton, Barack and Michelle Obama, Joe Biden, former US Attorney General Eric Holder, House Democrat Maxine Waters, Democratic Senators Kamala Harris and Cory Booker, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan, billionaires and Democratic contributors George Soros and Tom Steyer, actor Robert DeNiro, and CNN.

Ms Waters and Mr Biden both received two packages.

Mr Sayoc appeared in court and documents stated he may have planned the attack for more than three months.

The packages also contained a return address for House Democrat from south Florida and former Democratic National Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz.

All have been vocal critics of Mr Trump and the public targets of his criticism.