TX - Austin Package Bombs

[Jax49]

That's terrible. It was already terrible, but that's an attack on a whole family. So two killed in the family, a woman they believe opened one belonging to another family member, and a fourth family member has been targeted but was not killed. air?

Sounds like a crazy conspiracy theory except it may be real...

moo

 

[HMSHood]

I would not be surprised if the person responsible is driven by revenge. The person is likely an injustice collector like Ted Kaczynski, Nikolas Cruz, or Stephen Paddock.

 

[x_files]

I would not be surprised if the person responsible is driven by revenge. The person is likely an injustice collector like Ted Kaczynski, Nikolas Cruz, or Stephen Paddock.

I agree.
No to find out who has a beef with these families, and asap.

 

[Leru]

Some food for thought...... I don't necessarily believe what I'm about to suggest but........As I read this thread and the word bomb was popping out at me, I couldn't help but think of a terrorist attack. Say someone was inspired my a jihad /isis video that shows you how to make bombs and they don't care who is killed as long as it is an "infidel". The instructions from isis to enlistees is to take out as many as you can in any way that you can. Maybe someone is doing their part as a terrorist in whatever way they can. It could even be a younger person. These individual "small " bombs could be practice for something larger and possibly more deadly.
I truly hope this is not the case, but as long as we are considering all options right now, I think it could be plausible.

If there does turn out to be a connection between the victims, then I agree that the motive is probably revenge or racially motivated.

But no matter the who, what or why, this person or persons is a terrorist by their actions. I would be terrified (terrorised) just living in Austin at this point.

Please keep in mind there are my own humble ramblings. 😯

 

[Leru]

I'd also like to add that I realize there is a tenuous church connection between some victims. A jihad / isis terrorist could potentially choose people through a christian church.

Another thought is that this person my have come to Austin due to the SXSW festival. I realize the first victim was a week before the festival but there have to be people traveling in early to set up for the show. They may have had some time to burn and did what they did.

 

[Jax49]

Austin bombings and the explosive echoes of the Unabomber

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2018/03/14/austin-bombings-and-the-explosive-echoes-of-the-unabomber/?utm_term=.64f8b288fc82

It’s been 22 years since FBI agents crept up to a cabin in secluded Montana woods and pulled out a thin man with graying blond hair, pages from a handwritten journal denouncing technology and a completed bomb ready to be mailed.

 

[BrownPaperBag]

Police question Austin woman they think may have been bombing target

East Austin resident Erica Mason, whose neighbor was injured in one of three recent package explosions that have gripped the city, talked to investigators Wednesday about whether she was related to the Mason family that was targeted in at least one of the bombings.

Mason, who is from Iowa, isn’t related to the Mason family that is prominent in Austin’s African-American community. But police have developed a theory that the bomber may have mistaken her for another member of the family.

If the theory proves true, the bomber then made two mistakes: targeting the wrong Mason and accidentally placing the package two doors down — at the house of Maria Moreno, whose 75-year-old daughter Esperanza Herrera was critically injured after picking it up.

“They basically just wanted to know if I was a relative or married to one of them, if I was in any way associated with the family,” Erica Mason told the American-Statesman. “If I was associated with the family, it could have been that they were trying to come after me.”

Mason said she feels “survivor’s guilt” for possibly being the target of a bomb that hurt Herrera, who she had seen in the past taking care of her mother but had not met.

“It is spooky, and I don’t know if it’s more terrifying that it could have happened to me or my boyfriend,” Erica Mason said, “and that it happened to this poor, sweet, innocent woman.”

The other two bombings both occurred at the homes of people connected to the Mason family of Austin.

Staff writer Tony Plohetski contributed reporting.

 

[snowleopard]

I took a while to look at these bombings...Between the school shootings and this..It's getting to be too much....But I had a couple of thoughts. I thought of the 'Beltway Sniper' murders and how John Muhommad's wife thought that the purpose of the killings was to cover for her eventual murder by Muhammad. What if the Austin bomber really only had a grudge against one individual and used the other attacks as cover, perhaps with the connections of the stepfather etc being coincidental or to pull one's attention in the wrong direction? The other thing I'm wondering is if there was one attack where it was most probable that only one specific individual from the home would likely handle the package due to habits, living arrangement etc. known by the perp. If so, that's the person I would do the most thorough victimology study on.

This is also a good overview of the case:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqzNJCEWNAA

 

[Audrey Horne]

Austin Package Bombs Appear to Be Targeting Prominent Black Families

"Three package bombs have gone off in Austin, Texas, in the past two weeks, and they appear to have targeted members of prominent black families, the president of the local NAACP told NBC News Wednesday.

The families of Stephen House, who was killed on March 2, and Draylen Mason, who was killed on Monday, have known each other for a long time “and go to the same church,” according to Nelson Linder. The Austin NAACP president said that a third bomb, which injured 75-year-old Esperanza Herrera, may have been intended for “another person who might be connected to the House and Mason families.”

Though the Austin police agree that the bombings are related, they haven’t suggested a motive. They also haven’t said whether they think the victims were personally targeted. But interim Austin police chief Brian Manley did tell reporters this week that they’re not ruling out the possibly “that hate crime is at the core of this.”
...

Dixon told the Washington Post that he doesn’t think the victims’ history is a coincidence. “Somebody’s done their homework on both of us, and they knew what they were doing,” he said. “My diagnosis: Number one, I think it’s a hate crime. Number two, somebody’s got some kind of vendetta here.”

Investigators have begun looking into the connection between the Mason and House families, attempting to see if the victims’ relationships to “prominent members of Austin’s African-American community” is related to the bombings, the Austin American-Statesman reported on Wednesday.
...

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligence...to-be-targeting-prominent-black-families.html

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Note: There is also a little more information about the bombs themselves at the link, though I think that's the least of our own worries.

I fear for all of us.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Let's wait for more info before deciding a motive.Only bad thing about this board.

I agree. There's a tendency to reach for the pitchforks and flaming torches a little too readily at times.

 

[cvaldez1975]

If you have read the more recent articles even LE is saying it's likely racially motivated.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[dshay]

Austin Package Bombs Appear to Be Targeting Prominent Black Families


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Note: There is also a little more information about the bombs themselves at the link, though I think that's the least of our own worries.

I fear for all of us.

Sounds like the POI is wiring up the type of motion sensor found in a nintendo wii-mote to a microcontroller and programming the device in a way that goes off when the box is opened, filter out all the motion before that.

Intermediate level technical/engineering savvy.

This person has a technical background or is a serious hobbyist.

 

[Kip]

I was hoping that they'd be able to catch this guy on someone's security camera footage. He was apparently leaving the packages during the night. It would be nice if there was limited access to one of the locations (my neighborhood has only one vehicle access point), but one address has 4 and the others 6 and 7. I guess no close neighbors have cameras.

Even if the attacks are racially motivated, how is the perp choosing these specific people? I was trying to think how I'd go about choosing victims from a particular class of people. If I chose them from my church, neighborhood, PTA, etc., it would eventually come back to me. So I guess I'd follow random people home from a grocery store (the likelihood would be high that their next stop would be home). Or the perp could be a delivery person, cable installer, etc.

Hopefully there will be some clues from the bomb debris that will help identify the maker.

 

[watergirl62]

AUSTIN (KXAN) - A major South by Southwest show was canceled Saturday night after a bomb threat was e-mailed to the venue earlier that afternoon.

Fans of "The Roots and Friends" said they waited in line for hours to see the show, which was scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m. at Fair Market on 5th Street, but were turned away at the door when security guards said there had been a security concern.

The Roots is the house band on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.


http://www.kxan.com/news/local/aust...or-sxsw-show-the-roots-and-friends/1055311145

 

[EuTuCroquet?]

Austin bombs were 'meant to send a message,' authorities believe

https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/18/us/austin-explosions-investigation/index.html

Authorities continue to chase hundreds of leads in an effort to find the person responsible for three package bombs that have rocked Austin, Texas, this month, killing two and injuring two others.

The reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible was increased to a total of $115,000, authorities announced Sunday.

The FBI, the ATF and the Austin Police Department are now offering $100,000 for information in addition to $15,000 previously offered by Gov. Greg Abbott's office.

 

[EuTuCroquet?]

Man Arrested for Bomb Threat at SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo...-bomb-threat-at-sxsw-festival-in-austin-texas

Austin, Texas, police have arrested a man for emailing a bomb threat to the Fair Market in East Austin on Saturday evening, forcing the cancellation of a concert by The Roots at the South by Southwest festival.

Police charged 26-year-old Trevor Weldon Ingram with making a terroristic threat, which is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

 

[EuTuCroquet?]

Austin police plead with serial bomber: We hope you are watching and will call us

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...r-we-hope-you-watching-and-call-us/436387002/

"We assure you, we are listening and we want to understand what brought you to this point, and we want to listen to you, so please call us," he added.

Manley said investigators know the incidents were meant to send a message but are unsure what it is. He said hundreds of officers are investigating, more than 400 leads are being followed, and more than 200 interviews completed, but police haven't been able to piece together who is behind the string of attacks.

He said this type of investigation and the number of resources on it is "unprecedented" in Austin's history.

 

[EuTuCroquet?]

Man held in SXSW threat ruled out as bomb suspect, police say

http://www.wftv.com/news/trending-n...uled-out-as-bomb-suspect-police-say/717893124

“We do not believe he is involved in the string of package bombs,” Interim Police Chief Brian Manley said Sunday. “We looked into him and we are not thinking he is involved in this.”

 

[EuTuCroquet?]

TIMELINE

Austin police reveal timeline of package explosions, warn residents to be 'aware' of suspicious boxes

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/03/1...n-residents-to-be-aware-suspicious-boxes.html

“Here's a timeline of the deadly package explosions shaking Austin -- and what police are advising residents as they continue to investigate the three incidents.”

 

[BrownPaperBag]

My scanner app just popped up:

8:50 pm: EMS, Fire, Police responded to another bomb explosion in Austin, TX.