Suspect in mail bombs case identified by fingerprint on envelope "FBI director"

A suspect in the case of mailing explosive devices to leading Democratic figures in the United States has been identified by a fingerprint from one of the envelopes, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Christopher Wray told a press conference on Friday.

"I want to focus for a moment on the amazing work of our folks at the FBI lab. Based on their initial analysis, they uncovered a latent fingerprint from one of the envelopes containing an IED that had been sent to Congresswoman Maxine Waters," Wray said.

"We have confirmed this fingerprint is that of Cesar Sayoc. There is also a possible DNA connection between samples collected from pieces of two different IEDs mailed in separate envelopes and a sample previously collected from Sayoc in connection with an earlier arrest down in Florida," he added.

Cesar Sayoc may face up to 48 years in prison, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement published on US Department of Justice website on Friday. Earlier reports said that the suspect may face up to 58 years in prison.

Cesar Sayoc of Aventura, Florida was earlier arrested in connection to suspicious devices mailed to leading Democratic figures in the US. The US authorities have already established that at least 13 packages containing explosive devices were sent to former US President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, investor George Soros and actor Robert De Niro, among others. No one was injured in the incident.