The Austin serial bomber has been identified as Mark Anthony Conditt, 23. He was committed suicide in Round Rock, Texas, in the early hours of March 21 after being confronted by Austin Police Department SWAT officers. Conditt died after detonating a car bomb inside of his vehicle.
The attacks began on March 2 with the death of 39-year-old Anthony Stephan House. On March 12, Draylen Mason, 17, was also killed by one of Conditt's bombs. Between March 2 and March 21, three other bombs exploded causing multiple serious injuries while one other was discovered and deactivated.
This is what we know so far:
Conditt Was 'Thinking' of Doing Missionary Work After High School
The suspect shown dropping off a package at an Austin FedEx store. (Screengrab via CBS Austin)
According to a post on Danene Conditt, the suspect's mother's, Facebook page, Conditt graduated high school in 2013. Danene Conditt wrote in her posting that after his graduation, the suspect was considering "a mission trip."
The Austin Statesman reports that has a degree from Austin Community College's Northridge Campus. The newspaper says that Conditt worked for Crux Semiconductor in Austin as a "purchasing Agent/buyer/shipping and receiving." Prior to that, Conditt had worked as computer technician.
Conditt Was Home Schooled Along With His Siblings
His sister, Christina, is a gymnastics coach in the Austin-area. On her profile at Journey Gym, Christina Conditt writes that she "lives in Pflugerville with her parents, older brother and 2 younger sisters who were all home schooled." That bio adds that Christina Conditt planned to join the National Guard.
The suspect's father is Patrick Conditt, an account executive with Insight, an IT solutions company in Austin, according to his LinkedIn page. Patrick Conditt is a graduate of the University of Colorado-Boulder.
Conditt Was Identified After Surveillance Footage Showed Him at a FedEx Store
In the early hours of March 21, Austin cops, in addition to the FBI and ATF, identified Conditt as a suspect in the bombings thanks to surveillance footage taken from a FedEx store in Sunset Valley. Those tips brought investigators to a Red Roof Inn in the Round Rock neighborhood of Austin. Shortly after officers arrived in the vicinity of the motel, Conditt began to drive away.
At around 2 a.m. Central time, Conditt drove into a ditch while driving on I-35 while being pursued by officers. As members of the Austin SWAT team approached his car, Conditt detonated a bomb, killing himself, injuring a SWAT officer and setting fire to another vehicle.
Austin Mayor Steve Adler told the media that tips about the bombing suspect had been rolling in since March 19. Despite Conditt's death, Interim Austin Police Chief Brian Manley told the media that the public is to remain vigilant as "we don't know where this suspect has spent his last 24 hours."
Conditt's Motive Remains Unknown
In a press conference announcing Conditt's death, authorities said that they are still investigating the motive for the attacks. There is no confirmation as to whether or not Conditt acted alone or was part of a larger network. Conditt was alone at the time of his death. Special Agent in charge of the FBIA's San Antonio division, Christopher Combs, told the media, "We will be here as long as it takes with our partners to figure out exactly what happened, why it happened and how it happened."
Speaking to Fox & Friends, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said that there is a "treasure trove" of information being harvested from Conditt's home. That information is thought to include digital information. KVUE's Jay Wallis reports that Conditt was researching addresses in Cedar Park.
Conditt Is From Pflugerville
Governor Abbott confirmed to the media that Conditt was a resident of Pflugerville, an Austin suburb. The governor said that Conditt's room mates were being questioned by authorities as part of the investigation. The area of Pflugerville is located in Williamson County. The Statesman reports that Conditt's father, Pat, bought a property worth $69,000 in Pflugerville in 2017 and that the suspect had been living there. The suspect helped to build the home along with his father.
One of Contti's neighbors, Hector Del Valle, told the Daily Beast that he heard helicopters outside of the suspect's home at around 6:30 a.m. on March 21. Del Valle told the website, "There's a state trooper in my driveway, and they probably have about half a mile blocked off all the way around. I'm hoping that it's all over. It’s crazy to think he lived right down the street. This is a really quiet neighborhood, like one of the safest cities to live in and it's insane that this guy lived here."
The Austin Statesman reports that in the hours after Conditt's death, cops were seen in the area around North Second Street in Pflugerville. Conditt's neighbor, Frank Alvarado, 44, told the Statesman that he never would have suspected that the bombing suspect would come from his neighborhood. Alvarado was on more of an alert than some as he works at FedEx as a package handler. A different neighbor told the Statesman, "I know it's a cliche but I just can't imagine that." That neighbor went on to describe Conditt as a "nice kid from a great family."
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