AUSTIN – Federal documents released Monday provide a clearer picture of how the Austin bomber carried out his attacks and how authorities connected him to the explosives that killed two and wounded four others.
According to the federal affidavit included in Monday's release, Mark Anthony Conditt created six explosive devices and authorities noticed similarities in the delivery of the bombs, triggering devices used and shrapnel.
Recommended Videos
Investigators discovered that Conditt purchased five battery holders with snap connectors from Frye's Electronics store on Feb. 27, days before the March 2 explosion that killed Anthony House. According to the affidavit, all six explosive devices used the same battery holders Conditt purchased at the electronics store.
READ THE MARK CONDITT AFFIDAVIT
On March 13, one day after delivering bombs to two Austin homes, Conditt was plotting his next attack.
The affidavit states that Conditt went to a Home Depot store in Round Rock on March 13 and purchased work gloves and several yard signs, including one that read "Drive Like Your Kids Live Here." This was 24 hours after the explosions that killed 17-year-old Draylen Mason and injured two others.
Investigators believe the sign was used in the March 18 explosion that injured two people and involved the use of a tripwire. According to the affidavit, a person who lived near the explosion site told investigators they left their home, and when they returned, they saw a "Drive Like Your Kids Live Here" sign that wasn't there before.
Authorities said Conditt went to the FedEx facility at McKinney Falls Parkway on March 18 -- the same day of the trip wire explosion -- and mailed two more bombs.
One of the packages exploded at a FedEx facility in Schertz on March 20 and the other package was traced to a FedEx facility on Brodie Lane the same day.
The package found at the Brodie Lane FedEx was X-rayed and an explosive device was found inside. Authorities said the explosive "consisted of a PVC pipe casing with a metal pipe inside surrounded by shrapnel."
Authorities redacted what kind of trigger was used, but said it was designed to ignite the device when the flap of the package was opened.
Feds traced the two packages back to the McKinney Falls FedEx facility and obtained surveillance video from the location. The affidavit said surveillance video showed a man in a wig, a hat and gloves enter the store and drop off the two packages.
Investigators interviewed the FedEx clerk, who said the suspect drove off in a red truck similar to a Ford Ranger Conditt was known to drive.
The affidavit was dated March 20, one day before Conditt detonated an explosive and killed himself while authorities attempted to apprehend him.
A criminal complaint signed hours before Conditt killed himself sought to charge him with one count of unlawful possession and transfer of a destructive device.
The Austin Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives continue to review evidence collected during their investigation.
The Austin Police Department, ATF and FBI named the following agencies as having assisted in the investigation: The Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas Rangers, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the United States Marshals Service, the Round Rock Police Department, the Schertz Police Department, the Pflugerville Police Department, the Cedar Park Police Department, the Travis County District Attorney’s Office and the Austin Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.