Four exploding packages in Austin since March 2 killed two people and injured at least four. Another blast at a FedEx distribution center near San Antonio early Tuesday slightly injured one person.
More HEREPFLUGERVILLE, Tex. — The Austin bombing suspect who blew himself up Wednesday in a confrontation with police was an intense loner who grew up in a tight-knit, deeply religious family, according to friends and neighbors.
Mark Conditt, 23, could sometimes get angry over a misunderstanding, remembered Jeremiah Jensen, who knew Mr. Conditt because they were both home-schooled in Pflugerville, a town 20 miles north of Austin.
Mr. Jensen said he was one of a few people who tried to push through Mr. Conditt’s “hard-to-get-along-with” exterior. He said Mr. Conditt was not overtly political when they were growing up, but seemed to like debating issues and probing logical extremes.
“He could be dominant in conversations,” said Mr. Jensen, 24, who now lives in Dallas and had not been in touch with Mr. Conditt frequently for the last four or five years. “It would seem like he was trying to argue with you and give pushback on things you were trying to say. It didn’t have to be serious. He liked to debate.”
More HERESurveillance video at a FedEx drop-off location north of San Antonio helped authorities identify the suspect, Abbott said. The surveillance footage, some of which was released, shows a suspect wearing a blond wig and hat.
Abbott said investigators have a copy of a receipt showing where the suspect purchased his disguises. They can tie a tripwire used in one of the blasts to one of five "Caution, children at play" signs he purchased at a Home Depot.
Investigators obtained information from Google and from the suspect's computer history that confirmed the bomber looked at information on where to ship devices. Authorities were able to track him to a hotel parking lot near Austin by monitoring his cellphone activities.