SW Austin neighborhood faces bomb threat 6 years after Austin bombings

AUSTIN, Texas - A Southwest Austin neighborhood faced another bomb threat almost six years to the day that two people were injured by a device presumed to be planted by the Austin bomber.

The Austin Police Department's bomb squad responded to a threat call around 2:10 p.m. on March 12 in the 4800 block of Republic of Texas Blvd, less than a mile from where the fourth Austin bomber explosion happened in 2018.

The scene in SW Austin was given the all clear as of 4:26 p.m., according to FOX 7 Austin's John Krinjak.

What happened in March 2018?

Over a three-week period in March 2018, five explosions were reported across Austin and in Comal County, killing two people and injuring four.

The first incident was on March 2 when police responded to an explosion on Haverford Drive in northeast Austin. 39-year-old Anthony House was taken to the hospital where he died. At the time, police believed it was an isolated incident.

Ten days later, on March 12, police responded to an explosion reported at a home on Oldfort Hill Drive off MLK Boulevard in east Austin. That explosion killed 17-year-old Draylen Mason and injured his mother.

Hours later that same day, another package explosion was reported on Galindo Street near Riverside and a 75-year-old woman was severely injured. 

Police said, at the time, that the packages in the above incidents were not left by an official delivery service.

Six days later, on March 18, another explosion was reported off Dawn Song Drive in the Travis Country neighborhood of southwest Austin. 

Police at the time said they believe the device was activated by a tripwire as two men were walking alongside the road. ATF said the explosive device was attached to some sort of sign. 

Both men were hospitalized with significant injuries, but survived. The grandfather of one of the men later told the AP his grandson had nails embedded in his legs from the explosion. 

Another package explosion, this time at a FedEx distribution center in Schertz, was also connected to the Austin bombings. The box had been on a conveyor belt when it exploded and contained metal shrapnel and nails. One employee suffered a concussion when it exploded.

The package was headed to Austin and originated from a FedEx location in Sunset Valley, according to officials.

Who is the suspected Austin bomber?

Law enforcement believe the man responsible for the bombings was 23-year-old Mark Anthony Conditt, of Pflugerville. Conditt took his own life by exploding his SUV with him inside as law enforcement attempted to take him into custody on March 21, 2018. 

Police at the time said Conditt was originally found in the parking lot of a Round Rock hotel, but began driving away, leading to a police pursuit that ended with him in a ditch. He detonated the bomb inside his car when two officers approached him. One officer suffered minor injuries.

Investigators later found Conditt's phone and in it, he had left behind what police at the time characterized as a 25-minute confession video.

At the time of Conditt's death, he had been charged with one count of unlawful possession and transfer of a destructive device. That federal charge was dismissed after Conditt killed himself.

Conditt's roommates at the time were also detained and questioned, but later released.

A search of Conditt's Pflugerville home uncovered all kinds of evidence that authorities said at the time matched components used in the bombs. Investigators said one room in the home contained bomb components and explosive materials but no finished bombs.

How did officials find the Austin bomber?

The investigation that led authorities to Conditt was complex, but there was a break in the case when Conditt, wearing a disguise, had been captured on surveillance footage delivering packages to the FedEx location on Brodie Lane.

This marked the first time authorities had any photographs of a suspect in the bombings. A clerk also reported that Conditt had been wearing gloves, a hat, and a blond wig, and Conditt was seen leaving in a red Ford pickup truck that officials previously had leads on. The license plate of the truck linked the vehicle to Conditt.

Court documents say Conditt was also captured on video at Frye's Electronics and Home Depot making purchases, including nails, other bomb-making materials, and a sign that reads "Drive Like Your Kids Live Here." That sign was reportedly used to conceal the trip-wire explosive device in the March 18th incident on Dawn Song Drive. 

Investigators also used cellphone information collected at each of the crime scenes to help locate the bomber. Conditt's phone number was used to tie him to bombing sites around Austin, officials said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.