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Explosion Near San Antonio Widens Investigation of Austin Bombings
(about 4 hours later)
AUSTIN, Tex. — A package that exploded early Tuesday at a FedEx center near San Antonio was being looked at by officials involved in the investigation into a series of deadly explosions in Austin, Tex.
SCHERTZ, Tex. — Authorities are scrambling for clues that could connect a package that exploded early Tuesday at a FedEx facility here to four recent explosions in Austin that have killed two people, injured four others and prompted intense scrutiny of thousands of packages as they make their way across Texas.
Federal agents have asked the public to contact the authorities with tips about who or what could be behind the wave of attacks.
“The public’s safety is our No. 1 priority, and we are providing all the resources we can to finally find the persons or individual responsible for this,” Frank Ortega, assistant special agent in charge of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in San Antonio, told reporters near the scene of the latest explosion, in Schertz, Tex.
[Our most recent article on the explosions in Austin can be found here.]
[Our most recent article on the explosions in Austin can be found here.]
The latest explosion, in Schertz, Tex., occurred at about 12:30 a.m. local time, and injured one employee, who was not seriously hurt, local law enforcement officials said. The F.B.I. and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or A.T.F., joined local agencies at the scene.
The blast occurred at about 12:30 a.m. local time when a package traveling along an automated conveyor belt exploded, according to Chief Michael Hansen of the Schertz Police. An employee who had been standing nearby later complained of ringing in the ears and was treated at the scene. “We were very fortunate that there were no injuries,” Chief Hansen said.
A law enforcement official said that the package was addressed to Austin and was believed to be connected to the other packages under investigation. It contained shrapnel like the other packages, the official said.
The large warehouse-type shipping facility, located in a commercial-industrial center about 25 miles northeast of San Antonio, was evacuated as local and federal agents flooded in, combing the building for clues.
The police in Schertz said that the package had been in the sorting area of the facility and that one person was treated at the scene and released. FedEx said that the package had exploded in one of its ground sorting facilities and that the person who was treated was one of its employees.
Helen Lafitte, the Schertz Police public information officer, said that nearby streets had been closed, with only vehicles connected to nearby businesses permitted to enter.
Schertz, on the outskirts of San Antonio, is about 60 miles south of Austin.
Few details have been released about the devices that have exploded so far. James Smith, assistant special agent in charge of the F.B.I. in San Antonio, refused to confirm local media reports that the package at the FedEx facility contained nails and other shrapnel.
The four bombings in Austin — the first on March 2, the most recent on Sunday — have killed two people and injured several others. The explosives were left in locations where people were likely to accidentally detonate them; none were delivered by a professional service like FedEx.
Mr. Smith also said the authorities had not determined yet whether the latest explosion was connected to the earlier explosions in Austin: “We do not know at this point right now.”
He said agents were searching other packages at the FedEx facility to make sure none are hazardous.
The four bombings in Austin — the first on March 2, the most recent on Sunday — have killed two people and injured several others. Those explosives were left in locations where people were likely to accidentally detonate them; none were delivered by a commercial service like FedEx.
“We have a high degree of confidence that the same individual built all these devices,” Fred Milanowski, special agent in charge of the A.T.F. office in Houston, told reporters on Monday, referring to the four bombs in Austin.
“We have a high degree of confidence that the same individual built all these devices,” Fred Milanowski, special agent in charge of the A.T.F. office in Houston, told reporters on Monday, referring to the four bombs in Austin.
The Austin police chief, Brian Manley, said in a statement on Tuesday that his department was aware of the latest explosion and was working on the investigation alongside the F.B.I. and A.T.F.
Before the explosion on Tuesday, the bombs had seemed to be growing more sophisticated. The first three were simple package bombs, but the fourth, which detonated Sunday evening and injured two people, was triggered by a tripwire.
“I want to continue to remind our community to pay close attention to any suspicious device whether it be a package, a bag, a backpack or anything that looks out of place,” Chief Manley said, adding that residents should call 911 instead of approaching or touching suspicious packages.
Before Tuesday’s explosion, the attacks had seemed to grow more sophisticated. The first three attacks featured simple package bombs while the fourth, which occurred Sunday evening and injured two people, was triggered by a tripwire.
If the explosion on Tuesday is linked to the others, it will represent yet another shift in tactics for a serial bomber whose methods and versatility have baffled investigators. The first three devices were in packages that were left on doorsteps, but the fourth was triggered by a tripwire strung across the sidewalk.
The latest, if ultimately linked to the Austin bombs, would be the first to have been mailed. Investigators have said the bomber has displayed some level of skill in building and transporting devices without accidental explosions, and it was unclear whether the blast on Tuesday was accidental.
Investigators involved in the Austin bombings case were converging on another FedEx center near the Austin airport on Tuesday morning, following reports of a suspicious package, law enforcement officials said. It was not clear if that package was connected to the others.
Even before the explosion on Tuesday, parcel distributors such as FedEx and U.P.S. were on heightened alert after the package bombings in Austin. Those packages were not mailed but instead left on people’s doorsteps.
A U.P.S. spokesman said on Monday, the day before the explosion at the FedEx facility, that its company had been operating with “a heightened sense of awareness,” and had notified employees a week ago about the Austin bombings but had not put any special procedures in place.
The U.S. Postal Service said in a statement on Monday that it had not made any changes to its operations in the Austin area beyond its normal security measures.
