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Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Austin serial bombing suspect may have other devices 'out there,' cops uncover 'treasure trove of information'



Mark Anthony Conditt blew himself up in the Austin area when police pulled his vehicle over. Depending who you read at this moment, the Austin bomber Was 23 or 24 years old. He was a product of homeschooling. And that is about all that is known to the public for now.

One thing I do know is the bombing spree will not control to the gun control freaks wanting to take away our guns. The Left would appear more idiotic than usual if they begin calling for bomb restrictions – you know – nobody should own a bomb in their home.

I doubt there is no link to Islamic terrorism; however, since the authorities have said there is lots of info from social sources, I suspect Right Wing extremism of some form. But Conditt could simply have gone over the edge with some kind nutcase trigger.

Information coupled with speculation undoubtedly is forthcoming.

JRH 3/21/18
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Austin serial bombing suspect may have other devices 'out there,' cops uncover 'treasure trove of information'

March 21, 2018 (9:30ish am)

Mark Anthony Conditt was named Wednesday as the serial bomber behind the string of blasts that terrorized Texas for three weeks, as officials warned residents that other explosive devices may still be out there.

The first photo of Conditt, from 2013, emerged Wednesday morning and was authenticated by the Austin-American Statesman. The picture came from the Facebook page of his mom, Danene Conditt, who appeared to be celebrating Mark's high school graduation.

“I officially graduated Mark from High School on Friday," her post said. "1 down, 3 to go. He has 30 hrs of college credit too, but he’s thinking of taking some time to figure out what he wants to do….maybe a mission trip. Thanks to everyone for your support over the years.”

Mark Anthony Conditt was identified Wednesday as the Austin serial bomber.

Conditt, who a law enforcement official told Fox News is the Austin bomber, was home-schooled and went to Austin Community College, according to neighbors.

“I know this is a cliché but I just can’t imagine that,” a neighbor told the Austin American-Statesman on the condition of anonymity, and whose children grew up playing with Conditt.

Authorities have said Conditt was 24, but public records obtained by the Statesman indicate he was 23.


He and his father, Pat Conditt, purchased a Pflugerville property last year that is now valued at about $69,000, according to property records.  Another neighbor who was not named told KVUE that Conditt was from "one of the nicest families you'd want to have," and was "extremely surprised' to find out he was behind the deadly bombings.

"I can tell you is that we're praying for the family, and I can't imagine what they're going through," he said. The neighbor who spoke to the Stateman said Mark Conditt had been living in that house, which he built with his father’s help.

Conditt had worked at Crux Semiconductor, a manufacturer "solutions" company, in Austin as a "purchasing Agent/buyer/shipping and receiving," according to a profile on a job recruiting website and had previously worked as a computer repair technician, according to the Statesman.

Meanwhile, authorities boasted of uncovering a "treasure trove of information" about the dead 24-year-old -- but officials warned other explosives may still be out there, and other collaborators may be on the loose.



Authorities investigate the home of the suspected Austin serial bomber in Pflugerville, Texas.  (KEYE-TV)

"We don't know where this suspect has spent his past 24 hours, and therefore we still need to remain vigilant to make sure that no other devices have been left out in the community," he told reporters.

Manley said communities surrounding Round Rock, where Conditt blew himself up as SWAT officers closed in, should "remain vigilant" as officials work to put together a timeline for where the suspect has been.



Officials work at the scene early Wednesday, March 21, 2018, in the Austin suburb of Round Rock, Texas, where according to authorities the suspect in a spate of bombing attacks that have terrorized Austin over the past month blew himself up with an explosive device as authorities closed in.  (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told "FOX & friends" the suspect did not destroy his digital footprint, and that there is a "treasure trove of information that should shed light on who he is, what he did, and why he was doing it."

Abbott said Conditt, who is not ex-military, did not post things on social media beforehand that would be "red flags," and that he lived with two roommates in Pflugerville, located about 20 miles north of Austin.

  
"Those two roommates have been talking to law enforcement," Abbott said, adding they are not suspects at this time.

The Texas governor said authorities are now going to spend the next 24 hours trying to figure out if anyone else was working with the Conditt, and if there are any other bombs out there.

FBI Agent Christopher Combs, head of the agency's San Antonio office, said authorities have a "long day ahead" as they work to go through "exactly what happened."

Officials work at the scene early Wednesday, March 21, 2018, in the Austin suburb of Round Rock, Texas.  (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

"We are concerned there may be other packages still out there, we need the public to remain vigilant, especially today as we go through the investigation," Combs said.


Fred Milanowski, agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms' Houston Field Division, told reporters that investigators believe Conditt built all of four of the package bombs that have blown up in Austin, but it's "hard to say" whether he was acting alone.

He added that the bomb that killed Conditt was "a significant explosive device."

When asked later if Conditt built bombs prior to the start of the spree in Austin, Milanowski responded: "We know when he bought some of the components. It's hard to say whether he was building along the way"

Mayor Steve Adler thanked law enforcement for their work in bringing down the suspect, but urged residents to continue to report anything that appeared suspicious or out of place.

"There's got to be an absolute sense of relief as well as gratitude for this army of law enforcement officials that have done," he told "FOX & friends."

The suspect's death on Wednesday came a day after a package exploded as it passed along a conveyor belt at a FedEx shipping center in Schertz, northeast of San Antonio and about 60 miles 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 contained an explosive that was successfully intercepted and that it, too, was tied to the other bombings.




Two men were injured on Sunday after a bomb exploded in an Austin neighborhood that was triggered by a trip wire, which officials said contained a "higher level of sophistication" than agents saw in three package bombs previously left on doorsteps.

The first was a package bomb that exploded at a northeast Austin home on March 2, killing 39-year-old Anthony Stephen House. Two more package bombs then exploded farther south on March 12, killing 17-year-old Draylen Mason, wounding his mother and injuring Esperanza Herrera, 75.

Fox News' Jonathan Hunt and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Travis Fedschun is a reporter for FoxNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @travfed

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