The suspect in the deadly string of bombings that terrorized Austin blew himself up early Wednesday as authorities closed in on him, bringing a grisly end to the three-week manhunt. But Police warned there could still be some parcels and more bombs still out there.
Austin serial bomber Mark Anthony Conditt blew himself up after he was cornered on Wednesday morning, March 21, 2018.
The serial bomber has since been identified as an unemployed White male, 23-year old Mark Anthony Conditt from Pflugerville, Texas.
Authorities are trying to find a motive for the heinous crimes committed. Questions still remain as to exactly why this happened and whether or not the serial bomber who terrorized an entire city and the state of Texas acted alone or had assistance in the five bombings that killed 2 people and wounded 4 others.
Austin serial bomber blew himself up after he was cornered by SWAT team on Wednesday 21 March, 2018. Credit: Reuters
According to Austin Police Chief Brian Manley, authorities had zeroed in on the man in the last 24-36 hours after his car was located at a hotel on Interstate 35 in the suburb of Round Rock. They had been waiting for the Ballistic Vehicles to arrive on location to move in for an arrest when he drove away leading to a chase.
A look at the suspected bombers vehicle and where he ended his life in Round Rock. AP just identified the bomber as Mark Anthony Conditt pic.twitter.com/a22h0lfpX4
— Michael Garofalo (@mikegaroTV) March 21, 2018
A chase ensured leading to the bomber’s vehicle running into a ditch on the side of the road after being cornered, according to Manley. It was at that time when the SWAT team approached that he blew him himself up by detonating an explosive device inside the vehicle.
Austin has been targeted by four package bombings since March 2. A fifth parcel bomb detonated at a FedEx distribution center near San Antonio early Tuesday.
A FedEx facility where another explosion occurred on Tuesday, March 20, 2018. Credit: KSAT
Citing a high-ranking law enforcement official, the Austin American-Statesman reported that authorities had identified the suspect based largely on information, including security video, gleaned after he sent an explosive device from an Austin-area FedEx store.
Authorities on Wednesday warned of the possibility that more bombs had yet to be found.
Local authorities announce the death of Austin serial bomber, Mark Anthony Conditt on Wednesday March 21, 2018. Credit: AP
“We don’t know where this suspect has spent his last 24 hours and therefore we still need to remain vigilant to ensure that no other packages or devices have been left to the community,” Manley said.
Austin serial bomber blew himself up in his car after he was cornered on the highway on Wednesday, March 21, 2018. Credit: Reuters
Manley said the suspect is believed to be responsible for all the major Austin bombings.
Authorities had initially believed the bombings may be hate crimes because the victims of the earliest blasts were black, but they backed off that theory after Hispanic and white victims from different parts of the city were also affected.
First 2 victims of Austin serial bomber: 39-year old Anthony Stephan House (L) and 17-year old Draylen Mason (R).
Fred Milanowski, an agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said it was “hard to say” if the bombing suspect had acted alone.
“What we do know is we believe the same person built each one of these devices,” said Milanowski, the agent in charge of the Houston division of the ATF. “We are not 100 percent convinced there’s not other devices out there.”
President Trump Twitter after the Austin serial bomber was announced dead on Wednesday morning, March 21, 2018. Credit: Twitter
Asked if the suspect built bombs before the Austin attacks, Milanowski said: “We know when he bought some of the components. It’s hard to say whether he was building along the way.”
Austin Mayor Steve Adler thanked Law Enforcement for their work in bringing down the suspect and urged residents to continue to report anything that appeared suspicious or out of place.
Austin serial bomber 24-year old Mark Anthony Conditt blew himself up when cornered.
“We’re just really relieved and just incredibly thankful for this army of law enforcement that has been in our community here for the last week or so,” he said on NBC’s “Today” show. “We’re asking people to remain vigilant and still identify things in the community that seem suspicious or out of place, as we have been doing.”
Isaac Figueroa, 26, said he and his brother heard sirens and helicopters early Wednesday in the area and drove toward them, then cut through nearby woods on foot after they hit a police roadblock.
Mark Anthony Conditt, the Austin serial bomber’s family home in Pflugerville, Texas.
Figueroa said they saw a silver or gray Jeep Cherokee that was pinned between black and white vehicles and “looked like it had been rammed off the road.” He said he saw police deploy a robot to go examine the Jeep.
The Austin serial bomber was cornered before he blew himself up in his car on Wednesday, March 21, 2018. Credit: Reuters
President Donald Trump, who had earlier said whoever was responsible for the Austin bombings was “obviously a very sick individual or individuals,” tweeted, “AUSTIN BOMBING SUSPECT IS DEAD. Great job by law enforcement and all concerned!”
Another explosion went off on Tuesday evening in Austin, Texas, March 20, 2018. Credit: AP
The suspect’s death followed a day of rapid-fire developments in the case.
On Tuesday, a bomb inside a package exploded around 1 a.m. as it passed along a conveyer belt at a FedEx shipping center in Schertz, northeast of San Antonio and about 60 miles (95 kilometers) southwest of Austin. One worker reported ringing in her ears and was treated at the scene.
Later in the morning, police sent a bomb squad to a FedEx facility outside the Austin airport to check on a suspicious package. Federal agencies and police later said that package had indeed contained an explosive that was successfully intercepted and that it, too, was tied to the other bombings.
A package containing nails and pieces of metal exploded at this FedEx facility in San Antonio on March 20, 2018. Credit: AP
The Schertz blast came two days after a bombing wounded two men Sunday night in a quiet Austin neighborhood about 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the FedEx store. It was triggered by a nearly invisible tripwire, suggesting a “higher level of sophistication” than agents saw in three package bombs previously left on doorsteps, Milanowski said.
A bomb exploded at this FedEx facility in Schertz, Texas on Tuesday, March 20, 2018. Credit: AP
Authorities have not identified the two men who were hurt Sunday, saying only that they are in their 20s. But William Grote told The Associated Press that his grandson was one of them and that he had what appeared to be nails embedded in his knees.
Law enforcement had a scare Tuesday night at a Goodwill store in southern Austin, where someone had dropped off a device sometimes used in military training and it went off, injuring a worker.
A map of successive explosions and package trail of the Austin serial bomber. Credit: AP
The first incident occurred on March 2 where 39-year-old Anthony Stephan House was killed after a package bomb exploded at a home in northeast Austin.
On Marc 12, two more package bombs exploded further south killing 17-year old Draylen Mason and injuring his mother after opening a package in their kitchen.
17-year old Draylen Mason was one of the first 2 victims killed on March 12, 2018. Credit: Facebook
A 75-year-old Hispanic woman identified by her family as Esperanza Herrera was severely injured when a package bomb exploded at her home a few hours later.
The trip wire explosion on Sunday came just hours after police made an unusual direct appeal to whomever was responsible for three package bombs that killed two in the past month.
An Associated Press report. Further editing by Manyika Review.
