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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-in-austin-police-say/?utm_term=.8afeb016f115
After fourth Austin explosion, police warn of sophisticated ‘serial bomber’
by Eva Ruth Moravec, Mark Berman and Meagan Flynn March 19 at 2:35 PM Email the author
1:23
Here’s what we know about the four Austin package attacks
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Austin police said the fourth explosion in the city, which injured two men March 18, could have been triggered by a tripwire. (Patrick Martin, Amber Ferguson/The Washington Post)
AUSTIN — Anxious Texans huddled inside their homes Monday as investigators searched for answers behind what police called a sophisticated “serial bomber” terrorizing this city with a string of explosive devices this month.
The latest blast, which injured two men walking through a residential area Sunday night, marked an escalation in both the tactics and skills displayed by whoever is responsible, police said. While the three previous bombs have been packages delivered to people’s homes, the fourth device was left on the side of the road and rigged with a tripwire, showing “a higher level of sophistication, a higher level of skill,” said Brian Manley, the interim Austin police chief.
“What we have seen now is a significant change from what appeared to be three very targeted attacks to what was, last night, an attack that would have hit a random victim that happened to walk by,” Manley said. “So we’ve definitely seen a change in the method.”
Morning Mix newsletter
Stories that will be the talk of the morning.
[ Austin bombings and the explosive echoes of the Unabomber ]
Manley said the fourth device had “similarities” with the other bombs that detonated in the Texas capital earlier this month, killing two people and injuring two others, one seriously. This latest explosion plunged the city further into a frightening mystery that has left residents on edge as authorities have seemed at a loss to explain who could be setting off these devices or why.
The previous explosions all detonated in the eastern part of Austin, affecting areas where black and Hispanic residents live, prompting some in the area to question whether the initial blast would have prompted more urgency had it gone off in a more affluent, predominantly white neighborhood.
“This is a public threat,” Nelson Linder, president of NAACP’s Austin chapter, said Monday. “Now that the geography has changed, it’s going to widen people’s perspectives. Nobody can take this lightly; we’re all vulnerable.”
Linder added: “Like they tell us in the military, when you walk, look down at where you’re walking.”
1:48
Austin neighbors shocked by bombing: 'It's going to change the way we live.'
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(Zoeann Murphy/The Washington Post)
Police have declined to describe the bombs in detail, saying only they appear to be the sophisticated work of a person or people who know what they are doing — and noting that whoever is responsible has been able to assemble and deliver these packages without setting them off. After telling residents to remain wary of unexpected or suspicious packages, authorities were now urging broader caution.
“We’re even more concerned now that if people see something suspicious, they just stay away from it altogether and contact law enforcement,” said Fred Milanowski, special agent in charge of the Houston division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “Because if they move that package or if they step on that tripwire, it’s likely to detonate.”
Milanowski said devices using tripwires are activated when any pressure is applied to the wires, and he said that can include people “tripping over it or picking up the package.”
[ The unique terror of Austin’s deadly package bombs ]
Investigators have said the attacks may have been motivated by racial bias, since the previous explosions killed two black people and wounded a Hispanic woman, though they acknowledged that this is only a theory.
The explosion Sunday injured two white men — one 22, the other 23 — walking through Travis Country, a wealthy neighborhood in southwest Austin, far from where the first three devices detonated. The men were taken to a hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, and Manley said they were in stable condition Monday.
“With this tripwire, this changes things,” said Christopher Combs, special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio office. “It’s more sophisticated. It’s not targeted to individuals. We’re very concerned that with tripwires, a child could be walking down the sidewalk and hit something.”
[ Exploding packages tap into simmering tensions over Austin’s racial segregation ]
Many in the neighborhood where the fourth device detonated said they had felt removed from the terror that had shaken other parts of town.
“It appears that no one is safe, and I’m very fearful for our community,” said Richard Herrington, 75, who was watching the NCAA men’s basketball tournament when he heard the explosion Sunday night. “It’s very concerning that this person is becoming more sophisticated.”
Ellen Troxclair, an Austin City Council member who represents the district where the Sunday explosion occurred, said she was shocked by seeing the blast there.
“The tripwire definitely instilled some fear into this neighborhood,” she said. “They just want to know what’s going on.”
When the blast detonated Sunday, Eliza May said she heard a sound akin to “when the generators go out, but like five times louder.” May said she was ordered to stay in her home Monday morning and was given permission to work there, but she found herself unable to concentrate.
“This thing is overwhelming,” she said. “My house is a crime scene. I can see the FBI right now – they’re in hazmat suits, walking in a line down the street.”
[ ‘Who did this and why?’: Austin remains tense after deadly bombings as police look for answers ]
The explosions have effectively occurred in a ring outside of Austin’s core, which includes downtown, the Texas capitol and the University of Texas. The first two bombs were both deadly: Anthony Stephan House, a 39-year-old construction worker, was killed March 2. Then, 10 days later, Draylen Mason, a 17-year-old high school student, was killed in an explosion that injured his mother.
House and Mason were both related to prominent members of Austin’s African American community, and they had family members who are close, raising fears that their race or familial connections may have played a role.
Just hours after Mason was killed, a third bomb went off, seriously injuring Esperanza Herrera, a 75-year-old Hispanic woman who was visiting her mother. But that blast puzzled investigators because it was addressed to a different home and apparently exploded when she was carrying it, according to two people familiar with the case.
Police had initially described the explosion that killed House as an isolated incident, though they reversed course 10 days later when the additional bombs detonated. Manley said Monday that police still do not have evidence leading them to a particular suspect, and he reiterated his plea to the public for tips and information.
Austin Mayor Steve Adler said in a telephone interview Monday that “with each additional event, the horrible part is that people are getting hurt.” But, he added, “it also means that law enforcement folks get additional forensic evidence.”
The explosion Sunday went off just hours after the Austin police made a public appeal in the case, increasing the reward for information to $100,000 and addressing the bomber or bombers in particular. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has also offered another $15,000 for information.
“These events in Austin have garnered worldwide attention,” Manley said during the earlier announcement. “And we assure you that we are listening. We want to understand what brought you to this point, and we want to listen to you.”
After Sunday’s explosion, Manley urged residents in the surrounding neighborhood to remain in their homes while investigators continue to search the area. He said that people who needed to leave their homes should call 911 for an escort.
Berman and Flynn reported from Washington. Moravec reported from Austin. This is a developing story and will continue to be updated.
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Meagan Flynn is a reporter on The Washington Post's Morning Mix team. She was previously a reporter at the Houston Chronicle and, prior to that, the Houston Press, where she covered criminal and social justice issues extensively.
Follow @Meagan_Flynn
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After fourth Austin explosion, police warn of sophisticated ‘serial bomber’
by Eva Ruth Moravec, Mark Berman and Meagan Flynn March 19 at 2:35 PM Email the author
1:23
Here’s what we know about the four Austin package attacks
Embed
Share
Austin police said the fourth explosion in the city, which injured two men March 18, could have been triggered by a tripwire. (Patrick Martin, Amber Ferguson/The Washington Post)
AUSTIN — Anxious Texans huddled inside their homes Monday as investigators searched for answers behind what police called a sophisticated “serial bomber” terrorizing this city with a string of explosive devices this month.
The latest blast, which injured two men walking through a residential area Sunday night, marked an escalation in both the tactics and skills displayed by whoever is responsible, police said. While the three previous bombs have been packages delivered to people’s homes, the fourth device was left on the side of the road and rigged with a tripwire, showing “a higher level of sophistication, a higher level of skill,” said Brian Manley, the interim Austin police chief.
“What we have seen now is a significant change from what appeared to be three very targeted attacks to what was, last night, an attack that would have hit a random victim that happened to walk by,” Manley said. “So we’ve definitely seen a change in the method.”
Morning Mix newsletter
Stories that will be the talk of the morning.
[ Austin bombings and the explosive echoes of the Unabomber ]
Manley said the fourth device had “similarities” with the other bombs that detonated in the Texas capital earlier this month, killing two people and injuring two others, one seriously. This latest explosion plunged the city further into a frightening mystery that has left residents on edge as authorities have seemed at a loss to explain who could be setting off these devices or why.
The previous explosions all detonated in the eastern part of Austin, affecting areas where black and Hispanic residents live, prompting some in the area to question whether the initial blast would have prompted more urgency had it gone off in a more affluent, predominantly white neighborhood.
“This is a public threat,” Nelson Linder, president of NAACP’s Austin chapter, said Monday. “Now that the geography has changed, it’s going to widen people’s perspectives. Nobody can take this lightly; we’re all vulnerable.”
Linder added: “Like they tell us in the military, when you walk, look down at where you’re walking.”
1:48
Austin neighbors shocked by bombing: 'It's going to change the way we live.'
Embed
Share
(Zoeann Murphy/The Washington Post)
Police have declined to describe the bombs in detail, saying only they appear to be the sophisticated work of a person or people who know what they are doing — and noting that whoever is responsible has been able to assemble and deliver these packages without setting them off. After telling residents to remain wary of unexpected or suspicious packages, authorities were now urging broader caution.
“We’re even more concerned now that if people see something suspicious, they just stay away from it altogether and contact law enforcement,” said Fred Milanowski, special agent in charge of the Houston division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “Because if they move that package or if they step on that tripwire, it’s likely to detonate.”
Milanowski said devices using tripwires are activated when any pressure is applied to the wires, and he said that can include people “tripping over it or picking up the package.”
[ The unique terror of Austin’s deadly package bombs ]
Investigators have said the attacks may have been motivated by racial bias, since the previous explosions killed two black people and wounded a Hispanic woman, though they acknowledged that this is only a theory.
The explosion Sunday injured two white men — one 22, the other 23 — walking through Travis Country, a wealthy neighborhood in southwest Austin, far from where the first three devices detonated. The men were taken to a hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, and Manley said they were in stable condition Monday.
“With this tripwire, this changes things,” said Christopher Combs, special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio office. “It’s more sophisticated. It’s not targeted to individuals. We’re very concerned that with tripwires, a child could be walking down the sidewalk and hit something.”
[ Exploding packages tap into simmering tensions over Austin’s racial segregation ]
Many in the neighborhood where the fourth device detonated said they had felt removed from the terror that had shaken other parts of town.
“It appears that no one is safe, and I’m very fearful for our community,” said Richard Herrington, 75, who was watching the NCAA men’s basketball tournament when he heard the explosion Sunday night. “It’s very concerning that this person is becoming more sophisticated.”
Ellen Troxclair, an Austin City Council member who represents the district where the Sunday explosion occurred, said she was shocked by seeing the blast there.
“The tripwire definitely instilled some fear into this neighborhood,” she said. “They just want to know what’s going on.”
When the blast detonated Sunday, Eliza May said she heard a sound akin to “when the generators go out, but like five times louder.” May said she was ordered to stay in her home Monday morning and was given permission to work there, but she found herself unable to concentrate.
“This thing is overwhelming,” she said. “My house is a crime scene. I can see the FBI right now – they’re in hazmat suits, walking in a line down the street.”
[ ‘Who did this and why?’: Austin remains tense after deadly bombings as police look for answers ]
The explosions have effectively occurred in a ring outside of Austin’s core, which includes downtown, the Texas capitol and the University of Texas. The first two bombs were both deadly: Anthony Stephan House, a 39-year-old construction worker, was killed March 2. Then, 10 days later, Draylen Mason, a 17-year-old high school student, was killed in an explosion that injured his mother.
House and Mason were both related to prominent members of Austin’s African American community, and they had family members who are close, raising fears that their race or familial connections may have played a role.
Just hours after Mason was killed, a third bomb went off, seriously injuring Esperanza Herrera, a 75-year-old Hispanic woman who was visiting her mother. But that blast puzzled investigators because it was addressed to a different home and apparently exploded when she was carrying it, according to two people familiar with the case.
Police had initially described the explosion that killed House as an isolated incident, though they reversed course 10 days later when the additional bombs detonated. Manley said Monday that police still do not have evidence leading them to a particular suspect, and he reiterated his plea to the public for tips and information.
Austin Mayor Steve Adler said in a telephone interview Monday that “with each additional event, the horrible part is that people are getting hurt.” But, he added, “it also means that law enforcement folks get additional forensic evidence.”
The explosion Sunday went off just hours after the Austin police made a public appeal in the case, increasing the reward for information to $100,000 and addressing the bomber or bombers in particular. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has also offered another $15,000 for information.
“These events in Austin have garnered worldwide attention,” Manley said during the earlier announcement. “And we assure you that we are listening. We want to understand what brought you to this point, and we want to listen to you.”
After Sunday’s explosion, Manley urged residents in the surrounding neighborhood to remain in their homes while investigators continue to search the area. He said that people who needed to leave their homes should call 911 for an escort.
Berman and Flynn reported from Washington. Moravec reported from Austin. This is a developing story and will continue to be updated.
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Follow @markberman
Meagan Flynn is a reporter on The Washington Post's Morning Mix team. She was previously a reporter at the Houston Chronicle and, prior to that, the Houston Press, where she covered criminal and social justice issues extensively.
Follow @Meagan_Flynn
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