Serial bomber puts state capital on edge
AUSTIN, Texas — Fear mounted across Texas’ capital on Monday after the fourth bombing this month — a blast triggered this time by a nearly invisible tripwire, demonstrating what police called a “higher level of sophistication” than the package bombs used in the previous attacks.
Two men were wounded in the explosion Sunday night as they walked near a residential street. The three earlier bombings since March 2 involved parcels that were left on doorsteps and blew up when moved or opened, killing two people and wounding two others.
“We are clearly dealing with what we believe to be a serial bomber at this point,” Police Chief Brian Manley said, citing similarities among the four bombs. He would not elaborate.
The latest blast occurred in a different part of Austin, and both of the wounded are white, while the victims in the earlier attacks were black or Latino.
Thad Holt, 76, said he is now watching his steps as he makes his way through a section of town near the latest attack.
“I think everybody can now say, ‘Oh, that’s like my neighborhood,’ ” he said.
The police chief said investigators have yet to establish a motive.
“Is this terrorism? Is this hate-related?” Manley asked. He said agents will “have to determine if we see a specific ideology behind this.”
For days, police have been warning people not to touch unexpected or suspicious-looking packages, a chilling thought since doorstep deliveries are more common than ever because of the rise of online shopping. With the latest bombing, though, the attacks took on an even more sinister cast.
Manley said the tripwire design required a higher level of skill to construct and represents a significant change: While the earlier bombings appeared targeted, the latest one would have hurt anyone who happened to walking by.
“The game went up a little bit — well, it went up a lot yesterday with the tripwire,” said Christopher Combs, FBI agent in charge of the bureau’s San Antonio division. “We’re very concerned that with tripwires a child could be walking down a sidewalk and hit something.”
Hundreds of agents from the FBI and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms have joined the investigation, and the reward for information leading to an arrest has climbed to $115,000.
Fred Milanowski, agent in charge of the Houston division of ATF, said the latest explosive device was anchored to a metal yard sign near the head of a hiking trail.
“It was a thin wire or filament, kind of like fishing line,” he said. “It would have been very difficult for someone to see.”
Milanowski said authorities have checked 500-plus leads since the bombings began and that there have been “persons of interest” in the cases, though they have so far not led to much.
The latest victims — ages 22 and 23 — suffered what police called significant injuries and remained hospitalized in stable condition.
The attack happened in the southwestern Austin neighborhood of Travis Country. That is far from the sites of the earlier bombings, which took place east of Interstate 35 and killed a 39-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy and wounded two other people.