The feds swooped in Friday afternoon and arrested Cesar Sayoc, 56, in south Florida in connection with the mail bombs that were sent to a number of leading Democrats and CNN in recent days.
Here are five things you should know about Sayoc, who resides in Aventura, Fla.
1. Prior arrests — Sayoc has a lengthy criminal record that includes convictions for theft, stolen property and traffic charges and, in 2002, threatening to ‘‘throw, place, project or discharge any destructive device,” the Associated Press reported.
Sayoc was sentenced to probation in August 2002 for threatening to throw a bomb during a conversation with a Florida utility representative, the AP reported.
Court records also show that Sayoc was convicted in the 1990s in Broward County, Florida, on grand theft and stolen property charges and in 2004 on a felony charge of fraudulent refunds and misdemeanor of tampering with physical evidence, according to the wire service.
He was also arrested in 1994 in a domestic assault case involving his grandmother, but charges in that matter were dropped, the Daily Mail reported.
2. How investigators nabbed him — CNN reported that DNA found on at least one of the packages, which contained potentially destructive devices, helped investigators identify Sayoc as the suspect.
The packages were mailed in manila envelopes with bubble wrap and had a return address of “DEBBIE WASSERMAN SHULTZ,” [sic] referring to the Florida congresswoman and former DNC chair, CNN reported.
3) Possible political leanings — Sayoc is a registered Republican, and the van that investigators seized at the time of his arrest had pro-Trump stickers on it, though it wasn’t immediately clear whether the vehicle belonged to Sayoc, the New York Times reported.
In addition, a number of press outlets attributed social media accounts to Sayoc that were rife with posts ripping Democrats, as well as photos of Sayoc wearing a hat bearing President Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan.
4) Entertainment industry ties, and heritage — A Twitter feed attributed to Sayoc describes Sayoc as a live event promoter and former “Professional Soccer Player, Wrestler, Cage Fighter.”
Sayoc also appears to identify himself as a member of the Seminole tribe, the New York Daily News reported. In one August 2016 Facebook message, Sayoc wrote that “We 5.4 Million American Indian . . . are ready for President Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump.”
A spokesman for the Seminole tribe said in an e-mailed statement that the tribe could find no evidence that Sayoc was a member.
5) Money problems, and condemnation from the president — Sayoc declared bankruptcy in 2012, according to a court filing that said he lived with his mother at that time, the Washington Post reported.
On Friday, President Trump decried the mail bombs as “terrorizing acts” and said whoever was responsible would be prosecuted to “the fullest extent of the law,” the Post reported.
The paper quoted Trump as saying, “We must never allow political violence to take root in America and I’m committed to doing everything in my power as president to stop it and stop it now.”
Globe Correspondent Mark Gartsbeyn contributed to this report. Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @TAGlobe.