Twitter suspends account that may be tied to suspected mail bomber
Facebook also removed accounts that appear to have been linked to Cesar Sayoc, who was arrested Friday in connection with mail bombs.
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Twitter on Friday suspended an account appearing to have been linked to Cesar Sayoc, who was arrested Friday in connection with mail bombs sent to prominent Democrats and critics of President Donald Trump.
Sayoc allegedly sent 13 suspicious packages to people including former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Vice President Joe Biden. He may have also made threats online, according to Rochelle Ritchie, a former press secretary for Congress. Ritchie said in a tweet Friday morning that Sayoc had threatened her on Twitter, but when she reported him the social media company said he wasn't violating Twitter's rules.
"Hey @Twitter remember when I reported the guy who was making threats towards me after my appearance on @FoxNews and you guys sent back a bs response about how you didn't find it that serious. Well guess what it's the guy who has been sending #bombs to high profile politicians!!!!" Ritchie tweeted.
Hey @Twitter remember when I reported the guy who was making threats towards me after my appearance on @FoxNews and you guys sent back a bs response about how you didn’t find it that serious. Well guess what it’s the guy who has been sending #bombs to high profile politicians!!!! pic.twitter.com/xBY8FMbqnq
— R O C H E L L E (@RochelleRitchie) October 26, 2018
On Friday afternoon, the Twitter account @hardrock2016, which appears to have been linked to Sayoc, was suspended. "We can confirm suspension pursuant with our policies," a Twitter representative said. The company declined further comment, including an inquiry about prior threats made from the account.
The FBI also declined to comment on the account and any possible connection to Sayoc.
The @hardrock2016 account also sent threatening messages to people like Biden and Jim Carrey, according to The Daily Beast. Another Twitter account, @hardrockintlent, which also appears to have been linked to Sayoc, was also suspended.
The suspect's Facebook and Instagram accounts were also removed Friday, a Facebook representative said.
"There is absolutely no place on our platforms for people who attempt such horrendous acts," the representative said. "We have found and immediately removed the suspect's accounts on Facebook and Instagram. We will also continue to remove content that praises or supports the bombing attempt or the suspect as soon as we're aware."
First published Oct. 26 at 2:40 p.m. PT.
Update, 3:13 p.m.: Adds information on the suspect's Facebook and Instagram accounts.