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| Austin bombings: After fifth explosion, Donald Trump says it is a priority to ‘find these very sick people’ | Austin bombings: After fifth explosion, Donald Trump says it is a priority to ‘find these very sick people’ |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| President Donald Trump has said that finding the “sick” people who have sent bombs to various locations in south central Texas is a top priority, seeking to reassure residents there is a heavy federal and local police presence to put an end to the series of attacks in Austin and now San Antonio. | |
| “We have a lot of power down there, it’s not easy to find,” Mr Trump said from the Oval Office, just hours after a fifth bomb was detonated. | |
| “We have to produce, we have to find these very sick people.” | “We have to produce, we have to find these very sick people.” |
| The comments came as officials continue a desperate search for clues and answers after a fifth Texas package exploded in a FedEx depot outside of San Antonio Tuesday, spreading fear in a saga that had already claimed two lives and injured four more. Nobody was injured in the explosion at the FedEx depot. | |
| Federal officials have swarmed Austin, where four packages have been detonated this month in a series of attacks that police say are likely related and have become increasingly sophisticated. The package that exploded Tuesday outside of San Antonio was en route to Austin, and had originated in Austin as well, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton told local media. | Federal officials have swarmed Austin, where four packages have been detonated this month in a series of attacks that police say are likely related and have become increasingly sophisticated. The package that exploded Tuesday outside of San Antonio was en route to Austin, and had originated in Austin as well, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton told local media. |
| But officials have provided little indication that they are any closer to apprehending a suspect, and have repeatedly asked the public to come forward with any information that could end this string of bombings. | But officials have provided little indication that they are any closer to apprehending a suspect, and have repeatedly asked the public to come forward with any information that could end this string of bombings. |
| “We are clearly dealing with what we expect to be a serial bomber,” Brian Manley, Austin’s interim police chief, said Monday during a press conference after the fourth explosion Sunday night, which was detonated by a trip wire. “The belief that we are dealing with someone who is using trip wires shows a higher level of sophistication, a higher level of skill.” | “We are clearly dealing with what we expect to be a serial bomber,” Brian Manley, Austin’s interim police chief, said Monday during a press conference after the fourth explosion Sunday night, which was detonated by a trip wire. “The belief that we are dealing with someone who is using trip wires shows a higher level of sophistication, a higher level of skill.” |
| Police have repeatedly warned residents to stay away from any suspicious package, and that even going close to a package could be dangerous in the case that another package uses a trip wire — which could be any sort of thin thread, and difficult to see. The Austin Police Department has received 1,257 calls from concerned residents who have received potentially suspect packages in the past eight days, according to a tweet from the department. | Police have repeatedly warned residents to stay away from any suspicious package, and that even going close to a package could be dangerous in the case that another package uses a trip wire — which could be any sort of thin thread, and difficult to see. The Austin Police Department has received 1,257 calls from concerned residents who have received potentially suspect packages in the past eight days, according to a tweet from the department. |
| A $115,000 (£82,000) reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest or conviction of the people responsible for the explosions in Texas, which has led the FBI to send at least 300 agents in what FBI special agent Christopher Combs said was an “unprecedented” threat response in the city. | A $115,000 (£82,000) reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest or conviction of the people responsible for the explosions in Texas, which has led the FBI to send at least 300 agents in what FBI special agent Christopher Combs said was an “unprecedented” threat response in the city. |
| Austin Mayor Steve Adler said that he thinks the Sunday explosion is likely to increase tension in the city, and that concern is justifiable even though he says residents should feel more secure because of the heavy response from police and federal agencies. | Austin Mayor Steve Adler said that he thinks the Sunday explosion is likely to increase tension in the city, and that concern is justifiable even though he says residents should feel more secure because of the heavy response from police and federal agencies. |
| “That concern is legitimate and real,” Mr Adler said Monday. “That anxiousness is going to continue until we can find the answer. | “That concern is legitimate and real,” Mr Adler said Monday. “That anxiousness is going to continue until we can find the answer. |
| The first explosion occurred on March 2, killing 39-year-old Anthony Stephan House after he brought a package in from his front porch. Mr House taken to a nearby hospital, but was later pronounced dead. At the time, police determined that the incident was an isolated event, but that the FBI and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were assisting in an investigation. | The first explosion occurred on March 2, killing 39-year-old Anthony Stephan House after he brought a package in from his front porch. Mr House taken to a nearby hospital, but was later pronounced dead. At the time, police determined that the incident was an isolated event, but that the FBI and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were assisting in an investigation. |
| Two more bombs hit the city on March 12, which led Austin police to say that those three incidents were likely related. The first on that day killed a 17-year-old Draymen William Mason and injured his mother, after Mr Mason brought the package in from the front step of his home to his kitchen, where it detonated. The second bomb, hours later, injured a 75-year-old woman in a different part of the city. | Two more bombs hit the city on March 12, which led Austin police to say that those three incidents were likely related. The first on that day killed a 17-year-old Draymen William Mason and injured his mother, after Mr Mason brought the package in from the front step of his home to his kitchen, where it detonated. The second bomb, hours later, injured a 75-year-old woman in a different part of the city. |
| The most recent bombing, on Sunday, injured two bicyclists after they triggered a trip wire to detonate the device. | The most recent bombing, on Sunday, injured two bicyclists after they triggered a trip wire to detonate the device. |