March 21, 2018•Update: March 22, 2018
By Safvan Allahverdi
WASHINGTON
The suspect in a series of deadly bombings that terrorized Austin, Texas, blew himself up in his car early Wednesday as law enforcement officials approached him.
Investigators believe 24-year-old Mark Anthony Conditt was responsible for a series of bombings this month that killed two people and injured five others, according to officials who asked not to be named,
But investigators warned residents to not yet let their guard down since they do not know where the suspect spent his last 24 hours and other packages or explosive devices may have been left throughout the community.
Conditt's death has apparently ended nearly a month-long manhunt but has left investigators scrambling to determine whether any bombs remain and the motive behind his attacks.
“We do not understand what motivated him to do what he did,” Austin Police Chief Brian Manley told reporters.
President Donald Trump congratulated law enforcement in a post on Twitter.
"AUSTIN BOMBING SUSPECT IS DEAD. Great job by law enforcement and all concerned!"
Authorities also confirmed a link between Conditt and an incident Tuesday where a package exploded and injured an employee at a Schertz, Texas, sorting facility of courier delivery service FedEx.
Schertz is just outside San Antonio, about an hour’s drive northeast of the state capital of Austin.
A second unexploded bomb was discovered hours later at another FedEx facility near Austin.
The first three explosions -- one March 2 and two more March 12 -- killed or wounded three blacks and one Hispanic victims in east Austin, where most residents are minorities, raising concern that the attacks may have been racially motivated.
In the fourth attack, however, two white men were injured in an area of predominately white residents.
