By Liam Sherman

In October, a series of apparent pipe bombs were sent via mail to over a dozen critics of President Donald Trump, from CNN news station to Robert De Niro. None of the devices detonated, and the suspect who investigators believe sent the packages has been apprehended.

   This whole story began when billionaire George Soros received a suspicious looking package, which it turned out contained what police called an explosive device. A bomb squad destroyed the device near his home.

   This is one of only two of the packages to reach its destination. The fourth package to be discovered was also the most public and widely seen. It arrived at CNN’s main office in New York City, and its discovery was essentially on air as alarms went off while CNN was broadcasting. In the coming hours and days, several more packages were discovered, sent to Maxine Walters, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Robert De Niro and others.

   The devices consisted of a length of pvc pipe, a battery, a clock, wiring, and some sort of “energetic material”, which could pose a danger if placed under heat or pressure. While none of the devices detonated, they are not considered hoax devices. They were intended to be actual bombs.

   Many Reynolds students have placed some of the blame for this attack on the rhetoric that Donald Trump has used against many of the people these devices were sent to.

    “I think that while ultimately the blame lies with the person who orchestrated these attacks, the inflammatory discourse modeled by President Trump paved the way for this attack.” Junior Phoebe Rodda said. “I think that there has been a trend of violence developing over the past few years that isn’t new to American politics per se, but has been revitalized.”

   The attacks gained additional attention when some conservative commentators made the unfounded claim that the attacks could have been orchestrated by Democrats to draw out midterm support. Most of those commentators withdrew their unfounded false flag theories after the suspect allegedly behind the attacks was identified and was discovered to be a Trump supporter.

   “It’s all about ratings.” Reynolds history teacher John Clevenger said, “The more far-fetched and sensationalized the news becomes, the more it feeds our appetite to consume more.”

   The suspect, who has been arrested in Florida, is 56 year old Cesar Altieri Sayoc. Sayoc was born in Brooklyn, New York City, and had lived around the country before ending up in Florida. He has formerly worked as a stripper, a professional wrestler, a club promoter and a store manager. He filed for bankruptcy in 2012, declaring around $4000 of assets. Sayoc has previously been arrested multiple times in Florida, once for threatening to throw a bomb in 2002.