NYC mayor calls suspicious package sent to CNN an ‘act of terror’

Kevin Coombs | Reuters

Mayor of New York Bill de Blasio, Police Commissioner of New York City James O’Neill and Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo give a media briefing outside the Time Warner Center in the Manhattan borough of New York City after a suspicious package was found inside the CNN Headquarters in New York, October 24, 2018.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday called the live explosive package sent to the Time Warner Center building in Manhattan an “act of terror.”

“This clearly was an act of terror attempting to undermine our free press and leaders of this country through acts of violence,” de Blasio said during a press briefing. “I want to make very clear that the people in New York City will not be intimidated.”

Mayor tweet

The mayor’s comments came after CNN was evacuated from the headquarters of its New York bureau in the Time Warner Center.

The attack on CNN came alongside a string of apparently similar attacks on prominent targets of conservative criticism, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama, as well as the liberal billionaire George Soros.

“We are going to go about our lives undeterred, because the very concept of terrorism is to change us and we will not allow that to happen,” de Blasio said. “You cannot be terrorized if you refuse to allow the terrorists to win.”

The mayor said that the city was not aware of any “credible and specific threats” against locations in New York City, and urged residents to go about their daily routine.

“You will see a lot more police presence,” he said. “That should be reassuring to all New Yorkers.”

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