Austin bomber: Deceased suspect named in Texas blasts

Police have named the suspect they say carried out a deadly series of parcel bombs in the Texas city of Austin as Mark Anthony Conditt, 23.

He was killed after detonating an explosive as officers approached his car following a chase in Round Rock, north of the Texas state capital. Officials say he lived about 20 miles (30km) from Austin in a shared home.

Investigators say with a "reasonable level of certainty" there are no more devices to endanger the public.

Police told reporters that Conditt - suspected of five blasts that killed two people and injured six others - made a video "confession" on his phone.


The 25-minute clip was recovered from the handset after he blew himself up on Wednesday as police closed in.

"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.

Before his death Conditt had been criminally charged with one count of unlawful possession and transfer of a destructive device, the US attorney for the Western District of Texas said in a press release on Wednesday.

Who is the suspect?

Conditt lived with two flatmates in Pflugerville, north of Austin, says investigators. The flatmates have been talking to authorities, but were not suspected of any crimes.

Authorities said they found several components inside the property that match the devices used in the other attacks.

Texas Governor Greg Abbot told Fox News that the suspect had not erased his online footprint, which may provide a "treasure trove of information that should shed light on who he is, what he did, and why he was doing it".

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Conditt attended the Austin Community College from 2010 to 2012, but did not graduate.