Suspected bomber blows himself up

WASHINGTON: A man suspected of carrying out a series of bombings in and around Austin, Texas blew himself up as law enforcement officials closed in on him on Wednesday, authorities said.

The suspect, who was 23, had not been identified by authorities but news reports said he was Mark Anthony Conditt. Not much else had been disclosed about him or his motivation.

Surrounded by SWAT team members, he blew up the car he was in. An officer had also fired at the suspect, police said.

Two people had been killed and at least five were injured in the five bombings he carried out, starting March 2. The last of them occurred on Tuesday. On the same day, a sixth explosive was detected before it went off.

An incendiary device went off injuring one person at an employment-facilitating company in Austin on Tuesday evening, but police said investigations revealed it was not connected to the other bombings.

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AUSTIN BOMBING SUSPECT IS DEAD. Great job by law enforcement and all concerned!

DONALD TRUMP,

US President on Twitter

The FBI had announced a reward of $100,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the bomber(s), and is leading a manhunt that involved 500 personnel drawn from every speciality unit that there can be.

And in an unusual move, the agency had asked the individual(s) responsible to get in touch. “We would like him to reach out and talk to us,” said Christopher Combs, FBI head of the nearby San Antonio division.

The two people killed in the blasts were African American and one of the injured was Hispanic, leading to theories that minority were being targeted. However, there were two white men among the injured.