Suspect in Austin Bombings Blows Self Up as Police Close In

The suspect in the Austin bombings blew himself up in his car early Wednesday morning as a SWAT team began to close in on his vehicle.

Police used cell-phone technology to track the serial bomber to a hotel in the Round Rock vicinity after investigating suspicious store receipts and obtaining a warrant to scour his Google search history.

As police surrounded him, the suspect set off a bomb in his car, killing himself and causing minor injury to an officer.

Investigators are still unsure of the motive of the 24-year-old white man, who menaced the Texas capital for 19 days.

“We believe this individual is responsible for all of the incidents in Austin,” said interim Austin Police chief Brian Manley, although law enforcement is still looking for accomplices.

Four bombs killed two people and injured four in Austin since March 2. Another bomb exploded at a FedEx sorting facility 60 miles southwest of Austin on Tuesday. Still another was discovered unexploded at a FedEx distribution center in Austin.

Texas governor Greg Abbott and President Trump both congratulated law enforcement for stopping the threat.

“More work needs to be done to ensure no more bombs had been sent before he died,” Abbott warned.

“As a community we need to do a better job of knowing the people that live across the street,” Austin mayor Steve Adler said. “If there’s a takeaway from this, it’s that we can be and should be a better community if we get to know each other better.”

Police cautioned communities to remain on alert since they do not know where the bomber spent his last 24 hours.