Police: Austin serial bomber suspect killed in police standoff

Austin police investigate the serial bombing
(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The suspect in the serial bombings that terrorized Austin this month was killed early Wednesday during a standoff with police along Interstate 35 in Round Rock, just north of Austin, police tell local media. The suspect detonated an explosive device and possibly shot himself, CBS News reports. A high-ranking law enforcement official tells the Austin American-Statesman that authorities identified the suspect within the past 24 hours, thanks mostly to evidence gathered from when the suspect shipped explosives-filled packages from a FedEx store in southwest Austin, one of which went off at a FedEx facility north of San Antonio early Tuesday. The official also said that along with surveillance video from FedEx, authorities studied suspicious purchases by the suspect and his Google history obtained through a warrant, and they tracked the suspect to a hotel using cellphone tracking technology.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.