‘Texas bomber made video confession before blowing himself up’
AUSTIN (Reuters) — The serial bomber whose deadly attacks terrorized Austin, Texas for weeks left a 25-minute video “confession” on a phone found after he blew himself up on Wednesday as officers closed in to make an arrest, police said.
Mark Conditt, 23, an unemployed man from the suburb of Pflugerville, detailed how he made all seven bombs that have been accounted for — five that exploded, one that was recovered before it went off and a seventh that he detonated as officers rushed to his vehicle early on Wednesday.
But the video failed to reveal a coherent motive for the attacks spread over the past three weeks, police said.
“He does not at all mention anything about terrorism, nor does he mention anything about hate, but instead it is the outcry of a very challenged young man, talking about challenges in his personal life,” Austin Police Chief Brian Manley told reporters.
“I would classify this as a confession,” Manley said.
Conditt, who had never before been in trouble with the law, killed two people and wounded five with a campaign of violence that began on March 2, authorities said.
Based on their search of the suspect’s home and his video statement, authorities said they felt confident that there were no other bombs and that the public was safe from further harm.
FBI special agent Christopher Combs said investigators believe the suspect would have continued his attacks had he not been apprehended.
Police recovered a “target list” of addresses for future bombings, The Los
Angeles Times reported, citing US Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, the Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.
Even so, the video gave no explanation for the individuals and addresses singled out as recipients of the bombs that were planted or shipped, Manley said.
Police previously said they had considered the possibility that the attacks were racially motivated, noting that the first several victims, including the two who died, were either African-American or Hispanic.
Conditt likely recorded the video between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Tuesday. According to Manley, Conditt said he believed police “were getting very close to him,” and he was right. Authorities filed a criminal complaint and issued an arrest warrant around that time.
By Wednesday morning, police had tracked Conditt to a hotel and were waiting for the arrival of tactical units and equipment before they planned to make an arrest, Manley said. But then Conditt drove away.