Photos of targets' homes, Michelle Obama's driver's licence found on pipe bomb suspect's phone: prosecutors
Sayoc, 56, faces 5 federal charges, including making 'threats against former presidents'
Pipe bomb suspect Cesar Sayoc searched for addresses of his targets online and had photos of many of them on his cellphone, including one of Michelle Obama's driver's licence, federal prosecutors said in a letter outlining evidence of their case.
The letter sent by Justice Department prosecutors to a Miami federal judge also says Sayoc, who was arrested last week, began plotting the "domestic terror attack" in July while living in his van.
Authorities seized an old white van that prosecutors say belonged to Sayoc. It was plastered with photos praising Donald Trump and targeting his critics, depicting some them with red crosshairs on their faces.
The FBI says Sayoc ultimately mailed 15 improvised explosive devices to prominent Democrats, critics of President Donald Trump and media outlets before he was arrested last week.
Sayoc, 56, faces five federal charges in Manhattan carrying a combined maximum sentence of 48 years behind bars if he's convicted, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors have 'powerful proof'
Prosecutors said in the letter to U.S. Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres that Sayoc should remain jailed without bail. A detention hearing as well as a hearing on when Sayoc should be sent to New York to stand trial are set for Friday in Miami. Additional charges are likely, they said.
"Because of the powerful proof that the defendant perpetrated these acts, he poses a substantial danger to the community," the letter says. "In light of the consequences at issue and the likelihood of conviction, the defendant is also a substantial flight risk. Therefore, pretrial detention is appropriate."
Among Sayoc's online searches for addresses, prosecutors said, were for former president Barack Obama, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, billionaire George Soros, California Sen. Kamala Harris, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, former attorney general Eric Holder and for "cnn building." The FBI recovered explosive devices sent to all of them, among others.
The prosecutors' letter said Sayoc's cellphone contains photos including Soros, the homes of Obama and former vice-president Joe Biden, and the driver's licence belonging to Obama's wife, Michelle.
A laptop computer found in the van also has a file with the address in Sunrise, Fla., of the office of U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, former chair of the Democratic National Committee. That office was used as the return address on the packages containing the pipe bombs, according to the FBI. The computer file was labelled "Debbie W.docx."
In addition, prosecutors said the FBI so far has found DNA evidence linking Sayoc to 10 of the improvised explosive devices.
Sayoc was arrested last Friday outside a South Florida auto parts store after the pipe bombs packed with glass shards began surfacing around the country. None of them exploded and no one was injured, but investigators say they contained real explosive material.