The man suspected of killing two people and injuring several others with a series of explosive devices in Austin effectively confessed to the bombings in a 25-minute video, law enforcement authorities say.
Acting Austin Police Chief Brian Manley told the media the video was found on the phone of Mark Anthony Conditt, 23, after the suspected bomber’s death.
The video reportedly contains details about the construction of the explosive devices, which were deployed across the Texan city over the course of three weeks.
However, Chief Manley said the video was not enough to determine a motive behind the attacks.
“We are never going to be able to put a ration behind those acts,” he said, adding that “it is the outcry of a very challenged young man talking about the challenges in his life.”
The news comes after further details about Conditt’s upbringing came to light. The New York Times reports Conditt was raised in a deeply conservative Christian household, and was homeschooled for large portions of his childhood.
Friends and acquaintances described him as quiet and a loner, who was known to hold strong political convictions.
The first blasts killed members of well-known African-American families in the area; law enforcement authorities have not commented on any potential racial motive behind the bombings.
Governor Greg Abbott said “It truly seems at random. This is one of the things we will gather information from in the next 24 hours as law enforcement combs through his house.”
Chief Manley said it appeared Conditt filmed the video on Tuesday evening, as law enforcement zeroed in on his location.
Conditt died yesterday while being pursued by police officers. Chief Manley said he pulled into a ditch and detonated an explosive device inside the vehicle. That device is thought to be the seventh he had constructed.
The investigation continues.
