The Austin Bomber investigation seems to have died as suddenly as did the identified suspect, Mark Anthony Conditt. After Conditt blew himself up (very nearly killing a SWAT police officer as well) the police were left with the job of determining what Conditt's motive might have been, as well as whether or not Conditt had left additional explosive devices around the Austin area.
The last current news about the Austin Bomber was published around March 25th or so. I waited vainly for more information, but none was forthcoming. No new information, just speculation based on the 25-minute "confession" that did not answer a lot of questions. I realize that police agencies will not open investigation files to the public, but all of the agencies involved in the Conditt investigation have left the public in the blind.
The most recent news concerning the Austin Bomber investigation was actually published on April 9th, but was apparently not considered a big news event. Also, I suppose, the Syrian government's (alleged) use of chemical weapons on its citizens overshadowed the news from Austin. It turns out that on April 9th the US Attorney's Office in Austin dismissed a federal complaint against Conditt which had charged him with possession and transportation of explosives in violation of federal law. The dismissal was a formality since Conditt was already dead, but additional details were contained in the federal affidavits that led to Conditt being charged. Instead, such additional "details" were redacted, so that reporters received no more information than they already had, and you and I, the People, are left in the dark just as before.
Here are the words of Christopher Combs, Special Agent-In-Charge of the Conditt investigation:
We are concerned it could inspire other people to do other acts. The subject in the audio confession says a number of statements that concern us, and we just don't want that to live forever on the Internet.
So we see that the FBI is protecting us from a "copycat" bomber. I don't know about you, but I am not interested in a word-for-word diagram, with pictures, about how the bombs were made. I am more interested in a couple of troubling aspects of this situation, that were never explored fully in the media, which for the most part seemed eager to publish only a strict narrative as provided by "the Bureau."
For one thing, there were numerous surplus electronic parts and chemicals in the Conditt home, found after the home was searched, but little information about whether or not the police believe that more explosive devices were assembled. A second question is the choice of targets. Many agencies were involved in the investigation, yet little information was discovered as to motive, or at least we were given little information. Finally, the two roommates. Two other men lived in the Conditt home AT THE TIME Conditt assembled his bombs. Both men were interrogated by the police, but nothing of what the police learned from these two was released. Did the police learn something important from their interrogation? Did they learn nothing? Either way, Agent Combs and his colleagues chose not to even briefly summarize the interrogations to the public.
So many unanswered questions beside the ones I raised. Did the police find evidence of a method of targeting, a reason for targeting those who he did? Was Conditt either a member of, or inspired by, some political group or hate group? How did this young man know how to make and transport these devices without blowing up himself? One officer speculated that Conditt may have "practiced" by detonating his home-made bombs "out in the field." Apparently far enough out in the field that no one heard or saw anything unusual, I suppose. But, before exploding his bombs, Conditt had to learn how to assemble the working electronics, yet do so, again, without blowing himself up in the process. In other words, the bombs that blew up in Austin were probably NOT the first bombs Conditt had made.
I am thankful that Conditt's reign of terror ended so quickly, and I praise the police for doing some good police work in putting the pieces together to zero in on Conditt. But I believe that the people, especially the people of Austin, need more answers. One of the most important things the people need to know is that the many law enforcement agencies involved in this investigation followed all leads and are reasonably certain that no one else is out there to carry on with Conditt's work. No, the police do not need to release any dangerous details of the investigation, but neither do the people deserve complete official secrecy. But it would appear that with the dismissal of the charges against Conditt, law enforcement has dismissed itself from any continuing investigation into this most disturbing and tragic story.
The last current news about the Austin Bomber was published around March 25th or so. I waited vainly for more information, but none was forthcoming. No new information, just speculation based on the 25-minute "confession" that did not answer a lot of questions. I realize that police agencies will not open investigation files to the public, but all of the agencies involved in the Conditt investigation have left the public in the blind.
The most recent news concerning the Austin Bomber investigation was actually published on April 9th, but was apparently not considered a big news event. Also, I suppose, the Syrian government's (alleged) use of chemical weapons on its citizens overshadowed the news from Austin. It turns out that on April 9th the US Attorney's Office in Austin dismissed a federal complaint against Conditt which had charged him with possession and transportation of explosives in violation of federal law. The dismissal was a formality since Conditt was already dead, but additional details were contained in the federal affidavits that led to Conditt being charged. Instead, such additional "details" were redacted, so that reporters received no more information than they already had, and you and I, the People, are left in the dark just as before.
Here are the words of Christopher Combs, Special Agent-In-Charge of the Conditt investigation:
We are concerned it could inspire other people to do other acts. The subject in the audio confession says a number of statements that concern us, and we just don't want that to live forever on the Internet.
So we see that the FBI is protecting us from a "copycat" bomber. I don't know about you, but I am not interested in a word-for-word diagram, with pictures, about how the bombs were made. I am more interested in a couple of troubling aspects of this situation, that were never explored fully in the media, which for the most part seemed eager to publish only a strict narrative as provided by "the Bureau."
For one thing, there were numerous surplus electronic parts and chemicals in the Conditt home, found after the home was searched, but little information about whether or not the police believe that more explosive devices were assembled. A second question is the choice of targets. Many agencies were involved in the investigation, yet little information was discovered as to motive, or at least we were given little information. Finally, the two roommates. Two other men lived in the Conditt home AT THE TIME Conditt assembled his bombs. Both men were interrogated by the police, but nothing of what the police learned from these two was released. Did the police learn something important from their interrogation? Did they learn nothing? Either way, Agent Combs and his colleagues chose not to even briefly summarize the interrogations to the public.
So many unanswered questions beside the ones I raised. Did the police find evidence of a method of targeting, a reason for targeting those who he did? Was Conditt either a member of, or inspired by, some political group or hate group? How did this young man know how to make and transport these devices without blowing up himself? One officer speculated that Conditt may have "practiced" by detonating his home-made bombs "out in the field." Apparently far enough out in the field that no one heard or saw anything unusual, I suppose. But, before exploding his bombs, Conditt had to learn how to assemble the working electronics, yet do so, again, without blowing himself up in the process. In other words, the bombs that blew up in Austin were probably NOT the first bombs Conditt had made.
I am thankful that Conditt's reign of terror ended so quickly, and I praise the police for doing some good police work in putting the pieces together to zero in on Conditt. But I believe that the people, especially the people of Austin, need more answers. One of the most important things the people need to know is that the many law enforcement agencies involved in this investigation followed all leads and are reasonably certain that no one else is out there to carry on with Conditt's work. No, the police do not need to release any dangerous details of the investigation, but neither do the people deserve complete official secrecy. But it would appear that with the dismissal of the charges against Conditt, law enforcement has dismissed itself from any continuing investigation into this most disturbing and tragic story.
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