The suspected serial bomber who terrorized Austin with a slew of exploding packages died early Wednesday after detonating an explosive device in his vehicle as police closed in on him, authorities said as quoted by The Washington Post.
Austin police and the FBI tracked the 24-year-old man to a hotel parking lot in Round Rock, about 18 miles north of Austin, where they found him inside his vehicle, Interim Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said. Chief Manley didn’t identify the individual but said he was a white male, adding that law enforcement hasn’t identified a motive. Officers wanted to wait for tactical units to arrive before engaging the suspect, but he started to drive away.
“We believe that this individual is responsible for all incidents that have taken place in Austin, starting on March 2nd and those that have occurred since then as well,” Chief Manley said, referring to the wave of bombings that have killed two people and wounded several more.
Police Chief Manley said authorities first identified the suspect as a person of interest about 24 hours to 36 hours ago. By late Tuesday night, he said authorities felt confident that the suspect was responsible for the bombings and tracked his vehicle to the parking lot of a hotel.
The man stopped on the side of the Interstate 35 frontage road, and as Austin SWAT officers approached, he detonated a bomb, knocking one of the officers backward and injuring him, Manley said. A SWAT officer then fired at the suspect, who died inside the vehicle, the police chief said. It was unclear whether he died from the explosion or from gunfire. Manley said the suspect sustained “significant” injuries from the blast. Authorities have not yet provided the man’s name.
The Wall Street Journal adds that the authorities cautioned area residents to remain vigilant in case the suspect was able to send or place any more explosives in the past day. Fred Milanowski, the special agent in charge of Houston Field Division for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, told The Wall Street Journal that investigators were able to identify the suspect in the Austin serial bomber case through basic police work.
“There were several small pieces that all came together,” he said Wednesday morning. “It was purchased. It was some video. It was witness statements that all came together.”
After the second bombing, on March 12, the ATF identified a “signature” in the explosive devices. “Forensically they were very similar,” Milanowski said. “Same explosive filler was used in all of them. All of them featured nails and screws as shrapnel.”
He added that all the devices that detonated appear to be the work of a single bomb maker. “We believe that the same person built each of these devices,” he said.
According to The New York Daily News, the suspect’s death follows the fifth confirmed bomb linked to the plot. An explosive device, stashed inside a package, detonated inside a FedEx depot near San Antonio early Tuesday. The package, bound for Austin, was also sent from Austin.
KEYE-TV reports U.S. Marshals collected surveillance footage of a man in disguise dropping off two packages at a FedEx store in south Austin. One of the packages later exploded at the Schertz facility around 1 a.m. Tuesday. Police warned during a press conference Wednesday morning that more explosive packages could still be in the Austin area.
“We don’t know where the suspect has spent his last 24 hours and therefore we still need to remain vigilant to make sure no other packages or devices have been left in the community,” Manley said.
Still, Austin Mayor Steve Adler said his city is now breathing a sigh of relief after multiple days of terror.
“They are confident that they have someone who has been responsible for these bombs going off,” he said on the “Today” show. “As a community, 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.”
President Trump applauded the suspect’s death with a partially all-caps tweet.
“AUSTIN BOMBING SUSPECT IS DEAD,” Trump tweeted. “Great job by law enforcement and all concerned,” he added.
CNN adds that as investigators search for answers, they are checking the cameras at the facilities from Tuesday’s incidents, the source said. Investigators believe the same person is behind all the devices, the source said, adding that the devices have a lot of consistencies. They are similar in the way they are made and use the same items, including a “mouse trap” or a “close pin” switch, according to the source.
“We made one to show everyone what it looks like and we did it in an hour,” the source said. The bombmaker may have taken longer to do it to avoid blowing themselves up, according to the source. The level of bombmaking skill doesn’t necessarily point to military experience, the source added.
Investigators said the package that was found intact Tuesday may yield some clues.
“Now we have the blueprint and possible DNA on the inside of the bomb. So teams are working to render it safe and then look for DNA,” the source said. The outside of the package would have been touched by employees at the store where it was dropped off and by the bombmaker, the source said.
The bombmaker may have been wearing gloves.
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