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| Austin Bombing Suspect Bought Some Materials at Home Depot | Austin Bombing Suspect Bought Some Materials at Home Depot |
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| PFLUGERVILLE, Tex. — An intense, three-week manhunt in a series of bombings that has terrorized Austin, Tex., came to an explosive end on Wednesday when the suspect, a 23-year-old unemployed man who had purchased bomb-making materials at a local Home Depot, drove into a ditch and blew himself up. | PFLUGERVILLE, Tex. — An intense, three-week manhunt in a series of bombings that has terrorized Austin, Tex., came to an explosive end on Wednesday when the suspect, a 23-year-old unemployed man who had purchased bomb-making materials at a local Home Depot, drove into a ditch and blew himself up. |
| The suspect, Mark A. Conditt, whom authorities had identified via surveillance footage and other clues left behind in one of the country’s worst serial bombing cases, was dead at the scene, the authorities said. | The suspect, Mark A. Conditt, whom authorities had identified via surveillance footage and other clues left behind in one of the country’s worst serial bombing cases, was dead at the scene, the authorities said. |
| [Here’s what we know about the bombing suspect, Mark Anthony Conditt.] | [Here’s what we know about the bombing suspect, Mark Anthony Conditt.] |
| Officials said Mr. Conditt’s motive was not immediately clear, but at an afternoon news conference, the Austin police chief, Brian Manley, revealed the existence of “about a 25-minute recording where he talks about what he has done.” | |
| Chief Manley called Mr. Conditt’s recording a confession. | |
| “He does not at all mention anything about terrorism nor does he mention anything about hate,” Chief Manley said, “but instead, it is the outcry of a very challenged young man talking about challenges in his personal life that led him to his point.” | |
| In the video, Chief Manley said, Mr. Conditt talked about the bombs that he made and the differences between them. “He described seven explosive devices and we have identified” all of the devices, the chief said. | |
| A friend from Pflugerville, Jeremiah Jensen, said Mr. Conditt at times “was a very intense person.” | |
| “He could sometimes get frustrated. There were times he could get angry over a misunderstanding,” Mr. Jensen said. | |
| Mr. Conditt was a home-schooled student who did not complete a degree from a community college and, according to the authorities, had “homemade explosive material” in his house. He described himself on a blog as “not that politically inclined” but expressed conservative views on issues like same-sex marriage and the death penalty. Friends and neighbors described him as a loner. | |
| A city that has been on edge for weeks as several makeshift bombs exploded without warning — on doorsteps, on a sidewalk and, most recently, in a FedEx shipping center — saw the long-running drama coming to an end. But authorities warned that with the bomber’s obviously extensive preparations, it might not be entirely over. | A city that has been on edge for weeks as several makeshift bombs exploded without warning — on doorsteps, on a sidewalk and, most recently, in a FedEx shipping center — saw the long-running drama coming to an end. But authorities warned that with the bomber’s obviously extensive preparations, it might not be entirely over. |
| “Two very important things before we can put this to rest. One, we don’t know if there are any other bombs out there and if so, how many and where they may be,” Gov. Greg Abbott said on Fox News. | |
| “Second, very importantly, we need to go throughout the day to make sure that we rule out whether there was anybody else involved in this process,” he said. | “Second, very importantly, we need to go throughout the day to make sure that we rule out whether there was anybody else involved in this process,” he said. |
| Officials with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and local law enforcement evacuated several blocks around Mr. Conditt’s house in Pflugerville, and searched it for explosives and other evidence. | |
| “There was componentry and the homemade explosive material that we found in the house,” Fred Milanowski, the A.T.F. special agent in charge of the Houston office, said at a news conference. | “There was componentry and the homemade explosive material that we found in the house,” Fred Milanowski, the A.T.F. special agent in charge of the Houston office, said at a news conference. |
| Mr. Milanowski said law enforcement had cleared the house of “any completed devices” and was processing the evidence found inside. | Mr. Milanowski said law enforcement had cleared the house of “any completed devices” and was processing the evidence found inside. |
| “We have a reasonable level of certainty that there are no other devices in the public but we still want the public to be vigilant,” he said. | “We have a reasonable level of certainty that there are no other devices in the public but we still want the public to be vigilant,” he said. |
| Representative Michael McCaul, Republican of Texas, said in an interview that Mr. Conditt bought at least some of his bomb-making supplies, including nails and wire, from a Home Depot in Pflugerville, a small town about 20 miles northeast of Austin where he lived. Mr. McCaul said Mr. Conditt had probably ordered battery packs online. | Representative Michael McCaul, Republican of Texas, said in an interview that Mr. Conditt bought at least some of his bomb-making supplies, including nails and wire, from a Home Depot in Pflugerville, a small town about 20 miles northeast of Austin where he lived. Mr. McCaul said Mr. Conditt had probably ordered battery packs online. |
| The crucial break for investigators, Mr. McCaul said, came when Mr. Conditt walked into a FedEx office to mail a package earlier this week. | The crucial break for investigators, Mr. McCaul said, came when Mr. Conditt walked into a FedEx office to mail a package earlier this week. |
| “When he left the FedEx office, he got into a red Mazda truck that had been called in by others as potential leads,” Mr. McCaul said. “And then they got the license plate and from there were able to get the cellphone number. Once we got the name of the individual we could get the cellphone number. From there, tracking the cellphone itself, as a location device.” | “When he left the FedEx office, he got into a red Mazda truck that had been called in by others as potential leads,” Mr. McCaul said. “And then they got the license plate and from there were able to get the cellphone number. Once we got the name of the individual we could get the cellphone number. From there, tracking the cellphone itself, as a location device.” |
| Mr. McCaul said investigators have also found ”a list of residences that they had to assume may have been utilized as future targets.” | Mr. McCaul said investigators have also found ”a list of residences that they had to assume may have been utilized as future targets.” |
| A federal criminal complaint charging Mr. Conditt with unlawful possession and transfer of a destructive device was filed on Tuesday night, the authorities said Wednesday, along with a warrant for his arrest. | A federal criminal complaint charging Mr. Conditt with unlawful possession and transfer of a destructive device was filed on Tuesday night, the authorities said Wednesday, along with a warrant for his arrest. |
| Also on Wednesday, the Austin Police said they had detained Mr. Conditt’s two roommates. One was questioned and released; the other was still being questioned as of Wednesday afternoon. Neither roommate was identified. | Also on Wednesday, the Austin Police said they had detained Mr. Conditt’s two roommates. One was questioned and released; the other was still being questioned as of Wednesday afternoon. Neither roommate was identified. |
| Law enforcement authorities also spent hours closeted with Mr. Conditt’s parents in their white clapboard home with an American flag hanging outside. | Law enforcement authorities also spent hours closeted with Mr. Conditt’s parents in their white clapboard home with an American flag hanging outside. |
| “We do not understand what motivated him to do what he did,” Mr. Manley told reporters. | |
| Mr. Conditt was a quiet, “nerdy” young man who came from a “tight-knit, godly family,” said Donna Sebastian Harp, who had known the family for nearly 18 years. | Mr. Conditt was a quiet, “nerdy” young man who came from a “tight-knit, godly family,” said Donna Sebastian Harp, who had known the family for nearly 18 years. |
| He was the oldest of four children who had all been home-schooled by their mother, Ms. Harp said, but he had also attended Austin Community College, although college officials said he did not complete a degree. | He was the oldest of four children who had all been home-schooled by their mother, Ms. Harp said, but he had also attended Austin Community College, although college officials said he did not complete a degree. |
| “He was always kind of quiet,” she said. “He was a nerd, always reading, devouring books and computers and things like that.” | “He was always kind of quiet,” she said. “He was a nerd, always reading, devouring books and computers and things like that.” |
| She said there had never been any hints of violence, until Wednesday morning, when she received a text message from Mr. Conditt’s mother. It read, “Pray for our family. We are under attack” — a reference to a spiritual assault by Satan, Ms. Harp said. | She said there had never been any hints of violence, until Wednesday morning, when she received a text message from Mr. Conditt’s mother. It read, “Pray for our family. We are under attack” — a reference to a spiritual assault by Satan, Ms. Harp said. |
| The Conditt family is affiliated with Calvary Chapel of Austin, according to the church’s office manager, Dean Miller. It is an evangelical church that meets in a former grocery store in Pflugerville. Its members believe the Bible prohibits same-sex marriage. | The Conditt family is affiliated with Calvary Chapel of Austin, according to the church’s office manager, Dean Miller. It is an evangelical church that meets in a former grocery store in Pflugerville. Its members believe the Bible prohibits same-sex marriage. |
| It was not immediately clear how involved Mr. Conditt was in the church, but he argued against same-sex marriage in a post he wrote on a blog he created for a political science class at the community college. | It was not immediately clear how involved Mr. Conditt was in the church, but he argued against same-sex marriage in a post he wrote on a blog he created for a political science class at the community college. |
| “Political protection of a sexual practice is ludicrous,” Mr. Conditt wrote. “I do not believe it is proper to pass laws stating that homosexuals have ‘rights.’” | “Political protection of a sexual practice is ludicrous,” Mr. Conditt wrote. “I do not believe it is proper to pass laws stating that homosexuals have ‘rights.’” |
| McKenna McIntosh, another student in the course, said Mr. Conditt’s views as reflected on his blog were “clear as day.” In a biography on the site, Mr. Conditt described himself as a conservative but said he was “not that politically inclined.” His six posts, which date from January to March 2012, included arguments in favor of the end of sex-offender registries and in support of the death penalty. | McKenna McIntosh, another student in the course, said Mr. Conditt’s views as reflected on his blog were “clear as day.” In a biography on the site, Mr. Conditt described himself as a conservative but said he was “not that politically inclined.” His six posts, which date from January to March 2012, included arguments in favor of the end of sex-offender registries and in support of the death penalty. |
| “Living criminals harm and murder, again,” he wrote, “executed ones do not.” | “Living criminals harm and murder, again,” he wrote, “executed ones do not.” |
| In the post, he pointed to Larry James Harper, a Texas fugitive who killed himself in 2001 as the police closed in after he escaped from prison. He compared him to another escapee, George Rivas, who was captured. | In the post, he pointed to Larry James Harper, a Texas fugitive who killed himself in 2001 as the police closed in after he escaped from prison. He compared him to another escapee, George Rivas, who was captured. |
| It seemed almost to foreshadow his own fate. | It seemed almost to foreshadow his own fate. |
| “If he had wanted or wished for death, he would have just shot himself, like his fellow Texas 7 escapee, Larry Harper, who committed suicide, rather than be captured and re-incarcerated,” Mr. Conditt wrote. | “If he had wanted or wished for death, he would have just shot himself, like his fellow Texas 7 escapee, Larry Harper, who committed suicide, rather than be captured and re-incarcerated,” Mr. Conditt wrote. |
| Detective David Fugitt with the Austin police said Mr. Conditt’s family was cooperating and was allowing investigators to search the property, including several backyard sheds. | Detective David Fugitt with the Austin police said Mr. Conditt’s family was cooperating and was allowing investigators to search the property, including several backyard sheds. |
| “We had no idea of the darkness that Mark must have been in,” the family said in a statement published by CNN. “Our family is a normal family in every way. We love, we pray, and we try to inspire and serve others. Right now, our prayers are for the families who’ve lost loved ones, for those impacted in any way, and for the soul of our Mark. We are grieving and in shock.” | “We had no idea of the darkness that Mark must have been in,” the family said in a statement published by CNN. “Our family is a normal family in every way. We love, we pray, and we try to inspire and serve others. Right now, our prayers are for the families who’ve lost loved ones, for those impacted in any way, and for the soul of our Mark. We are grieving and in shock.” |
| Real estate records show that Mr. Conditt and his father, William Conditt, bought a house together in Pflugerville in 2017, and family friends said the younger Mr. Conditt was remodeling it. | Real estate records show that Mr. Conditt and his father, William Conditt, bought a house together in Pflugerville in 2017, and family friends said the younger Mr. Conditt was remodeling it. |
| But neighbors said they saw little of him. | But neighbors said they saw little of him. |
| “I think he was pretty much a loner,” said Jay Schulze, a network engineer who lived about two blocks down, adding that Mr. Conditt spent most of his time with his parents. | “I think he was pretty much a loner,” said Jay Schulze, a network engineer who lived about two blocks down, adding that Mr. Conditt spent most of his time with his parents. |
| Austin has been in the grip of the wave of attacks since March 2. | Austin has been in the grip of the wave of attacks since March 2. |
| The first explosions hit African-American residents whose families are well-known in the black community, though two white men were injured by an explosive triggered by a tripwire on Sunday. | The first explosions hit African-American residents whose families are well-known in the black community, though two white men were injured by an explosive triggered by a tripwire on Sunday. |
| The suspect is believed to be responsible for at least six bombs that killed at least two people and wounded five. Four bombs detonated in various locations in Austin where they had been left. Another detonated at a FedEx distribution center in Schertz, Tex., near San Antonio, and a sixth was found, unexploded, in a FedEx facility near Austin’s airport. | The suspect is believed to be responsible for at least six bombs that killed at least two people and wounded five. Four bombs detonated in various locations in Austin where they had been left. Another detonated at a FedEx distribution center in Schertz, Tex., near San Antonio, and a sixth was found, unexploded, in a FedEx facility near Austin’s airport. |
| The attacks began when a package bomb detonated on the porch of an Austin home, killing Anthony Stephan House, 39. That was followed 10 days later by two bombs that were found outside homes, one of which killed a 17-year-old man. | The attacks began when a package bomb detonated on the porch of an Austin home, killing Anthony Stephan House, 39. That was followed 10 days later by two bombs that were found outside homes, one of which killed a 17-year-old man. |
| The first three bombs were apparently detonated when they were picked up or jostled. Later, a package bomb exploded outside another Austin home, set off by a tripwire. The bombs at the FedEx centers were found on Tuesday. | The first three bombs were apparently detonated when they were picked up or jostled. Later, a package bomb exploded outside another Austin home, set off by a tripwire. The bombs at the FedEx centers were found on Tuesday. |
| The suspect’s vehicle was traced to a hotel in Round Rock, just north of Austin, Chief Manley said, where a SWAT team surreptitiously surrounded the hotel and called other specialized units. But the suspect drove away before those teams could arrive. | The suspect’s vehicle was traced to a hotel in Round Rock, just north of Austin, Chief Manley said, where a SWAT team surreptitiously surrounded the hotel and called other specialized units. But the suspect drove away before those teams could arrive. |
| Officers followed the suspect, who stopped in a ditch off Interstate 35, and SWAT officers approached the vehicle on foot. | Officers followed the suspect, who stopped in a ditch off Interstate 35, and SWAT officers approached the vehicle on foot. |
| “The suspect detonated a bomb inside of the vehicle, knocking one officer back” and slightly injuring him, the police chief said. Another officer fired his gun at the vehicle. | “The suspect detonated a bomb inside of the vehicle, knocking one officer back” and slightly injuring him, the police chief said. Another officer fired his gun at the vehicle. |
| Michael Luna, a guest at a Red Roof Inn near the confrontation, told a local news channel that he heard the explosion from the bomb, which sounded as if it had gone off 100 to 200 yards away, when he was smoking a cigarette in the parking lot. Mr. Luna, who said he had been in the military, said that the explosion sounded like two grenades going off at the same time, and that he heard a pop afterward that might have been a gunshot. | Michael Luna, a guest at a Red Roof Inn near the confrontation, told a local news channel that he heard the explosion from the bomb, which sounded as if it had gone off 100 to 200 yards away, when he was smoking a cigarette in the parking lot. Mr. Luna, who said he had been in the military, said that the explosion sounded like two grenades going off at the same time, and that he heard a pop afterward that might have been a gunshot. |
| The section of Interstate 35 near that confrontation was a traffic nightmare for hours as commuters moved at a glacial pace in the southbound lanes, many of them presumably unaware of what had happened. State troopers barred access at several ramps along that stretch of the highway. | The section of Interstate 35 near that confrontation was a traffic nightmare for hours as commuters moved at a glacial pace in the southbound lanes, many of them presumably unaware of what had happened. State troopers barred access at several ramps along that stretch of the highway. |
| By Wednesday morning, aerial video footage of the area from KVUE, a local television affiliate, showed a red pickup with blown-out windows next to a blue tarp, surrounded by investigators’ vehicles. | By Wednesday morning, aerial video footage of the area from KVUE, a local television affiliate, showed a red pickup with blown-out windows next to a blue tarp, surrounded by investigators’ vehicles. |