Cesar Sayoc, the Florida man suspected of a mail-bombing campaign targeting critics of President Donald Trump has pleaded guilty in federal court.<\/p>\n
Mr Sayoc, 56, could be jailed for life for his criminal charges, which include using weapons of mass destruction and mailing explosives with intent to kill.<\/p>\n
He had initially pleaded not guilty, but will now avoid going to trial.<\/p>\n
Mr Sayoc is accused of mailing 16 pipe bombs to 13 targets including ex-President Barack Obama last October.<\/p>\n
None of the devices detonated, but the incidents caused a national scare just weeks before the US mid-term elections.<\/p>\n
In November, Mr Sayoc had pleaded not guilty to the 30 charges against him. On Thursday, he reversed that plea before US Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan.<\/p>\n
In an emotional statement, Mr Sayoc apologised for his actions and stated he had created the explosive devices using materials including firework powder,\u00a0the Washington Post reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n “I knew these actions were wrong. I’m extremely sorry,” he said.<\/p>\n His trial had been scheduled for July. The 56-year-old has been held without bail in New York since his arrest on 26 October, 2018.<\/p>\n Mr Sayoc allegedly mailed pipe bombs to prominent Democratic individuals and outspoken critics of Mr Trump, including Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Former Vice-President Joe Biden, Former CIA Director John Brennan, and Senators Cory Booker and Kamala Harris.<\/p>\n Mr Trump called the mail bomb campaign “despicable” while opponents pointed to Mr Trump’s vicious rhetoric against critics and the press as contributing to nationwide tensions.<\/p>\n The FBI zeroed in on Mr Sayoc after his fingerprint was allegedly found on one of the packages.<\/p>\n Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"