After a string of five explosions killed two people and injured five others in Austin and a suburb of San Antonio, law enforcement launched a manhunt in search of the perpetrator. Police eventually cornered Mark Anthony Conditt who reportedly detonated a bomb inside his vehicle and ended his own life.
While authorities hope that this explosion will be the last one in Austin for years to come, they have warned the public to stay vigilant. Conditt may not have acted alone , CNN reported.
Federal agents from the Houston office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted a search of Conditt’s home on Wednesday. While no finished explosive devices were discovered, ATF special agent Fred Milanowski said that “homemade explosive material” was found in Conditt’s room.
In another space in the house, agents report finding materials similar to the ones used to create the five bombs that exploded in Austin and at a FedEx facility outside San Antonio. Austin police questioned Conditt’s roommates while the agents combed through the alleged bomber’s home.
Authorities have gathered evidence of Conditt’s activities in the weeks leading up to his capture and demise, but Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said that it is possible that other rigged packages or devices may have been planted around the city , according to CNN . Manley warns that their investigation is not yet complete and the suspect’s whereabouts during the last 24 hours of his life are largely unaccounted for.
Manley also said that the investigation has not revealed a motive. There are still looming concerns about whether or not the 23-year-old man acted alone. A secondary sweep of the FedEx facility near San Antonio was conducted as a precaution. Police expected the hub to return to normal operations on Wednesday.
CNN reported that the family was unable to provide any insights into Conditt’s motives for his alleged crimes. One of his aunts said that the family was “devastated” by the news of his involvement. By all accounts so far, Conditt was said to live an otherwise quiet life in Pflugerville not far from his parents’ residence. He attended Austin Community College from 2010-2012 but did not obtain a degree.