The 56-year-old Florida man accused of mailing 15 pipe bomb packages to high-profile critics of President Donald Trump will appear at a pretrial detention hearing in Miami on Friday morning.

Cesar Sayoc, a former male stripper, pizza delivery driver and DJ who lived in a white van festooned with right-wing political images supporting Trump and lambasting his critics, will appear before a federal magistrate.

Sayoc faces five charges and a maximum penalty of 48 years in prison for bombs sent to targets including former President Barack Obama, ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, other prominent political figures and CNN.

Prosecutors said more charges were likely.

Investigators said they had evidence that Sayoc began planning his attacks in July.

If presiding US Magistrate Edwin Torres agrees with prosecutors from the Southern District of New York, Sayoc will not be allowed bail on Friday and after the hearing would be transferred to New York to face charges.

The pipe bomb story dominated US news for much of last week, ending when federal agents arrested Sayoc in the parking lot of an auto parts store in a Fort Lauderdale suburb.

The hearing comes during the closing days of highly charged political campaigns across the country leading up to Nov. 6 U.S. midterm elections. The result will determine the balance of power in Congress, currently controlled by Trump's Republican Party.

Sayoc was arrested days after the first of the pipe bombs inside padded manila envelopes was discovered in the mailbox of billionaire and Democratic donor George Soros north of New York City.

No one has been injured, but investigators with the FBI have said that at least some of the pipe bombs could have caused great harm. All of the bombs were sent through the US&nbsp;Postal Service.

"The evidence of the defendant's terror campaign is still being collected but is already overwhelming," wrote Geoffrey Berman, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, in a letter to Torres dated Tuesday.

The 56-year-old Florida man accused of mailing 15 pipe bomb packages to high-profile critics of President Donald Trump will appear at a pretrial detention hearing in Miami on Friday morning.

The 56-year-old Florida man accused of mailing 15 pipe bomb packages to high-profile critics of President Donald Trump will appear at a pretrial detention hearing in Miami on Friday morning. Cesar Sayoc, a former male stripper, pizza delivery driver and DJ who lived in a white van festooned with right-wing political images supporting Trump and lambasting his critics, will appear before a federal magistrate. Sayoc faces five charges and a maximum penalty of 48 years in prison for bombs sent to targets including former President Barack Obama, ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, other prominent political figures and CNN. Prosecutors said more charges were likely. Investigators said they had evidence that Sayoc began planning his attacks in July. If presiding US Magistrate Edwin Torres agrees with prosecutors from the Southern District of New York, Sayoc will not be allowed bail on Friday and after the hearing would be transferred to New York to face charges. The pipe bomb story dominated US news for much of last week, ending when federal agents arrested Sayoc in the parking lot of an auto parts store in a Fort Lauderdale suburb. The hearing comes during the closing days of highly charged political campaigns across the country leading up to Nov. 6 U.S. midterm elections. The result will determine the balance of power in Congress, currently controlled by Trump's Republican Party. Sayoc was arrested days after the first of the pipe bombs inside padded manila envelopes was discovered in the mailbox of billionaire and Democratic donor George Soros north of New York City. No one has been injured, but investigators with the FBI have said that at least some of the pipe bombs could have caused great harm. All of the bombs were sent through the US Postal Service. "The evidence of the defendant's terror campaign is still being collected but is already overwhelming," wrote Geoffrey Berman, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, in a letter to Torres dated Tuesday.

US mail bomb suspect faces pretrial hearing in Miami court

Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, a frequent critic of President Donald Trump, announced on Friday he would run for a US&nbsp;Senate seat in Utah, confirming months of speculation about a return to national politics.

&quot;I&#39;ve decided to run for United States Senate because I&#39;ve decided I can help bring Utah&#39;s values and Utah&#39;s lessons to Washington,&quot; Romney, who is seeking to replace retiring Senator Orrin Hatch, said in a video posted to Twitter.

Much of Romney&#39;s video focused on Utah values versus the Washington culture.

&quot;Utah has a lot to teach the politicians in Washington,&quot; he said. &quot;... Utah welcomes legal immigrants from around the world. Washington sends immigrants a message of exclusion. And on Utah&#39;s Capitol Hill, people treat one another with respect.&quot;

Trump has called for building a wall on the country&#39;s border with Mexico and limiting legal migration.

Romney, the son of former Michigan Governor George Romney, served as governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007. Before that, he helped found the buyout firm Bain Capital and gained prominence after stepping in to lead the organizing committee for the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics after a bribery scandal.

Romney first sought the presidency in 2008 but lost the Republican nomination to Arizona Senator John McCain. Four years later, Romney won the party&#39;s nomination but was defeated by incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama.

Romney is the front-runner in the November election in Republican-dominated Utah. According to the Federal Election Commission, the field includes five other people, including a Salt Lake City Councilwoman and a Marine Corps veteran.

The race will be Romney&#39;s second for the Senate. In 1994, he failed to oust Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy from his seat in Massachusetts.

Hatch, 83, the most senior Republican in the Senate, said last month he would not seek an eighth term. Trump had urged Hatch to run again in an apparent attempt to head off Romney.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Romney excoriated Trump as a &quot;fraud&quot; who was &quot;playing the American public for suckers.&quot; Trump responded that Romney had &quot;choked like a dog&quot; in his race against Obama.

However, after Trump won the presidency in November 2016, he briefly considered whether to pick Romney as his secretary of state.

Trump had lobbied Hatch to run for re-election in 2018 in what was viewed as an effort to prevent Romney from getting into the Senate. Trump and Romney spoke in January after Hatch announced his retirement, a White House official said.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, who had been Romney&#39;s vice presidential running mate in 2012, said in a statement on Friday that he was thrilled with Romney&#39;s decision to run for Senate.

&quot;His campaign has my unwavering support and the people of Utah will be getting an accomplished and decent man when they make him their next Senator,&quot; Ryan said.

Republicans hold 52 of the Senate&#39;s 100 seats but that majority is not always big enough to pass the Trump agenda.

Romney had successful treatment for prostate cancer in 2017, a source close to him said in January.

Romney first sought the presidency in 2008 but lost the Republican nomination to Arizona Senator John McCain

Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, a frequent critic of President Donald Trump, announced on Friday he would run for a US Senate seat in Utah, confirming months of speculation about a return to national politics. "I've decided to run for United States Senate because I've decided I can help bring Utah's values and Utah's lessons to Washington," Romney, who is seeking to replace retiring Senator Orrin Hatch, said in a video posted to Twitter. Much of Romney's video focused on Utah values versus the Washington culture. "Utah has a lot to teach the politicians in Washington," he said. "... Utah welcomes legal immigrants from around the world. Washington sends immigrants a message of exclusion. And on Utah's Capitol Hill, people treat one another with respect." Trump has called for building a wall on the country's border with Mexico and limiting legal migration. Romney, the son of former Michigan Governor George Romney, served as governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007. Before that, he helped found the buyout firm Bain Capital and gained prominence after stepping in to lead the organizing committee for the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics after a bribery scandal. Romney first sought the presidency in 2008 but lost the Republican nomination to Arizona Senator John McCain. Four years later, Romney won the party's nomination but was defeated by incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama. Romney is the front-runner in the November election in Republican-dominated Utah. According to the Federal Election Commission, the field includes five other people, including a Salt Lake City Councilwoman and a Marine Corps veteran. The race will be Romney's second for the Senate. In 1994, he failed to oust Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy from his seat in Massachusetts. Hatch, 83, the most senior Republican in the Senate, said last month he would not seek an eighth term. Trump had urged Hatch to run again in an apparent attempt to head off Romney. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Romney excoriated Trump as a "fraud" who was "playing the American public for suckers." Trump responded that Romney had "choked like a dog" in his race against Obama. However, after Trump won the presidency in November 2016, he briefly considered whether to pick Romney as his secretary of state. Trump had lobbied Hatch to run for re-election in 2018 in what was viewed as an effort to prevent Romney from getting into the Senate. Trump and Romney spoke in January after Hatch announced his retirement, a White House official said. House Speaker Paul Ryan, who had been Romney's vice presidential running mate in 2012, said in a statement on Friday that he was thrilled with Romney's decision to run for Senate. "His campaign has my unwavering support and the people of Utah will be getting an accomplished and decent man when they make him their next Senator," Ryan said. Republicans hold 52 of the Senate's 100 seats but that majority is not always big enough to pass the Trump agenda. Romney had successful treatment for prostate cancer in 2017, a source close to him said in January.

Former US presidential candidate Romney announces Utah Senate bid

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US mail bomb suspect faces pretrial hearing in Miami court

Former US presidential candidate Romney announces Utah Senate bid