Suspect in Pelosi Attack Was in the US Illegally, Officials Say
Investigators are trying to determine whether the suspect in the bomb attack that killed six people in a Pennsylvania congressional baseball practice was in the U.S. illegally.
A White House official told reporters on Sunday that the suspect in the blast at the practice session at a training ground for Democratic Members of Congress had been in the U.S. illegally for at least five years. The official added that investigators are looking not only for other people who may have been in the vicinity, but for the suspect’s family members who may be in the United States.
“We have been working for many hours with DHS and with our law enforcement partners here in the United States. But we have not identified any additional people who may have been involved in the incident. Nor have we identified any people with connections to individuals from Bangladesh who may have been involved,” Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson told reporters during a briefing on the attack.
A law enforcement official briefed on the investigation also told NBC News on Sunday that investigators were not looking for any specific individuals, adding that they were still working to gather further details and that the case was now headed to a grand jury. The official would not disclose whether the suspect was on any watch lists.
“In terms of this particular incident, we are looking into the situation. We are taking it as it comes,” said Johnson. “And the investigation is ongoing.”
On the night before the attack at the baseball field, a man carrying a backpack and apparently with a bomb was found by police near the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee headquarters in Washington, less than a mile from the practice session at the training center, sources told NBC News.
The man was initially thought to be a Republican congressional candidate who was due to appear at a campaign event, but officials later said that he was not. Officials said they were trying to determine whether he had any connection to any other people who were believed to have been at that time in the area.
The man was taken for evaluation and was believed to be in stable condition, according to a source with direct knowledge of the investigation