Potential explosives sent to Clintons, Obamas

Federal authorities are investigating suspicious packages sent to former US President Barack Obama and former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, the US Secret Service and a person familiar with the matter said yesterday.

The suspicious packages sent to the two top Democrats as well as a bomb sent to one of their major donors came roughly two weeks ahead of the high-stakes Nov 6 election that will determine whether Republicans maintain control of Congress in a nation that has become deeply polarized.

The package to Clinton was found late Tuesday while the one addressed to Obama was found early yesterday, both during routine mail screenings, the Secret Service said. Both Obama and Clinton were not at risk, they added.

The White House, in a statement, condemned the attempted attacks on Obama and Clinton.

"These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said.

Moments later US news network CNN said it had evacuated its New York bureau over another suspicious package.

The FBI said it was investigating the packages.

The incidents come just days after an explosive device found in the mailbox at the New York home of US billionaire and liberal donor George Soros, a target of right-wing groups.

The Secret Service, which provides protection to current and former US presidents and their families -- Clinton is the wife of former president Bill Clinton -- said it had initiated a "full scope criminal investigation."

An employee of the residence in Bedford, an ultra-wealthy enclave just a 20-minute drive from Westchester, found the package in the mailbox on Monday. It was later defused by bomb squad technicians.