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UPDATE: Austin bombings suspect identified after killing himself, officials say

By Kelly Healey
By Kelly Healey
The Austin bombings suspect has been identified as Mark Anthony Conditt, a law enforcement official said.

AUSTIN, TX — Read: Who is Mark Anthony Conditt, suspected Austin bomber?

Conditt, who investigators were trying to arrest Wednesday in connection with the string of bombings, killed himself with an explosive device as authorities closed in, according to officials.

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Police Chief Brian Manley said the suspect set off an explosive device inside of his vehicle in a Suburban Austin hotel parking lot as SWAT teams closed in. One SWAT team member fired a shot at the vehicle. One officer suffered minor injuries. 

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Agent Fred Milanowski called the bomb that killed the suspect "a significant explosive device."

Read: Fifth bomb blast linked to Texas attacks

Authorities identified the man in the past 24 hours based on information gained after police said he shipped an explosive device from a FedEx store in a suburb surrounded by Austin.
“We do not know what the motive was behind it (the bombings),” Manley  said.

Read: Map shows location of 4 Austin bombs

In posts dated from 2012, a blogger who identified himself as Mark Conditt of Pflugerville wrote that gay marriage should be illegal, called for the elimination of sex offender registrations and argued in favor of the death penalty. He described his interests as cycling, tennis and listening to music
Of gay marriage, Conditt wrote: "Homosexuality is not natural. Just look at the male and female bodies. They are obviously designed to couple."
 
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told Austin television station KXAN that Conditt was unemployed and that he had been observed making some purchases while wearing a disguise that included a blonde wig and gloves.
Austin has been targeted by four package bombings since March 2 that killed two people and wounded four others. A fifth parcel bomb detonated at a FedEx distribution center near San Antonio early Tuesday.
 
The mayor of Pflugerville, an Austin suburb not far from the site of the first of four bombings, said the suspect lived in his city, just two blocks from his house.
FBI agent Chris Combs, head of the agency's San Antonio office, said, "We are concerned that there may be other packages that are still out there."
"If you see something that gives you concern, call 911 and let us know, so we don’t experience anymore tragedies in our community,” Manly said.   
A federal agent said it's "hard to say" whether the man was acting alone.
Investigators said they believe the man was responsible for all of the Austin bombings.

Watch the Wednesday morning news conference from Austin, Texas below:

WATCH LIVE: News conference on Austin, TX bombings

WATCH LIVE: Law enforcement officials in Austin, TX are holding a news conference on the series of bomings in the area.

Posted by WFTV Channel 9 on Wednesday, March 21, 2018

The Associate Press contributed to this report.

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