Austin Bomber Dead After 19 Days of Terror

Mike Ptak, Staff Writer

On the morning of Wednesday, March 21, Mark Anthony Conditt, identified as the Austin bomber, died in an explosion caused by a bomb of his own making. Found on his phone following his death was a 25 minute confession and possible targets; however, no motive was found.

The 19 days of terror in Austin Texas led to the deaths of a 39 year old father, a 17 year old high school student, with two others injured. The police believe that Conditt was using package bombs placed at the victims’ doorsteps which sprayed lethal shrapnel.

Federal agents promptly found and searched Conditt’s house in Pflugerville, and for two days carefully removed the remaining bombs and extra materials. The police have issued a statement explaining that they believe that all of the bombs have been found up to this point.

The policed received camera footage of a man, presumably Conditt, in pink gloves and a blonde wig at a FedEx station with a package. He was tracked down to a hotel nearby and a SWAT team surrounded the area. Conditt then left in his vehicle, with the police engaging in a chase along Interstate 35, until his car landed in a ditch. The team slowly moved closer to his car, before his final bomb detonated in the car, killing him and injuring a SWAT member in the process.

“The suspect detonated a bomb inside the vehicle, knocking one of our squad officers back, and one of our squad officers fired at the suspect, as well…” stated Brian Manley, Austin Police Chief.

It is too early to define the motives of 23 year old Conditt, however authorities seem to have ruled out the possibility of terrorism or a “hate crime”

“Having listened to that recording, he does not mention anything about terrorism, nor does he mention anything about hate.” Added Manley.

Manley’s use of the words “a very challenged young man” is still up for debate, and his motives have not yet been found. However, the authorities have determined that this was a one man act, with Conditt acting alone.