President Donald Trump has called on the media “to stop the endless hostility”, after suspected explosives were posted to high-profile US figures.
He was speaking after parcels were sent to CNN and top Democrats, including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
None of the packages exploded. The FBI has launched a hunt for their sender.
The president’s critics called his latest remarks hypocritical, as he often uses vicious language against his opponents and the press.
Speaking at a Wednesday night rally in Wisconsin, the president vowed to catch the perpetrator, while calling on the media to end “constant negative and oftentimes false attacks and stories”.
Mr. Trump also called for more civility in public life, saying: “Those engaged in political arena must stop treating political opponents as being morally defective.
“No one should carelessly compare political opponents to historic villains, which is done often.”
However, the president made no specific reference to the intended recipients of the packages.
Earlier CNN worldwide president Jeff Zucker criticised President Trump and the White House press secretary for not understanding that “words matter”.
“There is a total and complete lack of understanding at the White House about the seriousness of their continued attacks on the media,” he said.
Suspected bombs were sent to locations in New York, the Washington DC area and Florida, authorities said on Wednesday.
Explosive devices were sent to the following individuals, according to the latest FBI statement:
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Former President Barack Obama
Former CIA Director John Brennan, care of CNN
Former Attorney General Eric Holder
California Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters
Liberal philanthropist and financier George Soros (on Monday)
CNN’s New York office was evacuated on Wednesday morning after the package, addressed to Mr. Brennan, was found in its mailroom.
Another package, believed to have been addressed to former Vice-President Joe Biden, is being sought by US federal investigators.
All the apparent targets are regularly criticised by conservatives – especially by President Trump.
Some Democrats have accused the president of inciting violence with his past rhetoric, while some of his supporters have said they believe the packages are part of a Democratic plot to win votes in the mid-term elections.
There is no evidence for this and the police have not released any information about any suspects.
The attempted attacks come just under two weeks before the mid-terms, with US politics highly polarised.
Earlier, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called attempted attacks on CNN and top Democrats, including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, “an act of terror”.
Mr. de Blasio told reporters it was an effort to terrorize and “to undermine our free press and leaders of this country through acts of violence”.
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Sharp falls wipe out Wall Street’s 2018 gains
Wall Street fell on Wednesday in another day of losses, erasing the gains posted this year for two of the three main indexes.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average sank 2.4% to 24,583.4 points, while the S&P 500 plunged 3.1% to 2,656.1 points.
The losses pushed the two indexes into negative territory for the year.
The sell-off spread to Asian markets in early Thursday trading, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 index down 3%.
Technology shares were among the worst performers in Tokyo, following a grim session on Wall Street.
In the US, tech-focused Nasdaq dropped more than 4.4% to 7,108.4 points amid concerns about weak corporate profits and global trade tensions.
It was the worst day since 2011 for the index, which is now 10% lower than its September peak and in “correction” territory.
Even technology firms, which have driven much of the market gains this year, did not escape the sell-off, with Amazon falling 5.9%, Facebook down 5.4%, Google owner Alphabet off 4.8% and Netflix sinking 9.4%.
Stephen Innes, Asia-Pacific head of trading at Oanda, said in a research note the tech sector had previously been seen as “impervious to weaker global growth sentiment, but escalating US-China trade tension remains that sectors undoing”.
Wednesday’s losses marked a sixth straight day of declines on the S&P and followed turbulence earlier in October.
The Dow is now on track for its worst month since May 2010.
Investors were also spooked by figures on Wednesday showing new home sales fell last month to their slowest pace in nearly two years.
They underlined other reports suggesting the US housing market is weakening – a worry given the sector is seen as a bellwether of economic health by many.
Investors have also grown nervous as growth in China slows and companies report increased costs due to labour shortages and tariffs.
Those forecasts hit companies such as Caterpillar, down 5.6%, and 3M, off 4.2%. The falls compounded declines on Tuesday in the wake of disappointing results.
Nate Thooft at Manulife Mutual Funds said: “Costs are increasing and it’s often tariff-related. We also reached a potential peak for earnings – companies that show marginal weakness take a beating.”
Adding to the sense of unease were a series of crude mail bombs and suspicious packages sent to prominent Democrats and critics of President Donald Trump, including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, less than a fortnight before the midterm elections.
