Austin, Texas has experienced a spate of bombings in March 2018. The Serial bomber has been invited to reach out to the police. So far, the bombings have killed two people and injured four, Reuters reported. The latest incident happened Sunday 18, March when two people triggered a trip-wire bomb next to a road.
Austin Police Chief Brian Manley indicated that there is obviously some message to be imparted in the bombings. He said in a press conference, “We are not going to understand that (message) until the suspect or suspects reach out to us to talk to us about what that message was.”
Austin bomber used a different technique this time
Austin bombs, until now, have been triggered when handling or opening the objects.
This time, the system that triggered the bomb was a trip-wire. Persons walking or cycling may hit the wire, which then sets the bomb off. They would be especially difficult to see at night.
Because of this, Manly issued a warning to the citizens of Austin, Texas, saying, "We now need the community to have an extra level of vigilance and pay attention to any suspicious device.”
Bomber motivation
While the police have extended their invitation to the bomber to reach out to them and explain the message they are obviously trying to send, it appears these may be hate crimes. Indeed, Reuters reports that the serial bombings in Texas are being investigated as possible hate crimes.
The reason the bombs may be hate crimes relates to who has been hurt or killed thus far.
It also pertains to areas - the east side - where the bombs have gone off. Texas Monthly pointed out that the city's biggest concentration of minorities reside on the east side of town.
ABC News reported that three package bombs had exploded in March. They had been left on people's doorsteps.
One dead victim was an African-American teenager named Draylen Mason.
His mother was injured in the blast. The first bombing, March 2, 2018, killed a 39-year-old African-Amercian, named Anthony Stephan House.
Another incident left a Hispanic woman injured by the bomb blast. The bombs pack a punch and police told ABC News that the "devices are constructed with nails, bolts, and nuts," which cause shrapnel.
The March 2 incident blew the door off the house.
The bombs are linked, police say
The bombings are not random events and according to the Associated Press, police say they are linked. The FBI and bomb units are only going to be able to fully investigate the latest trip-wire bomb come daylight. A resident in the area told 212 News, that "it is absolutely terrifying," and that residents had received "text messages" to stay indoors.