Austin Bomber Suspect Used “Exotic” Batteries in Explosives

Austin authorities say the use of “exotic” batteries helped them track down the Austin bombing suspect, which resulted in his death early this morning. Many law enforcement officials told NBC News that after working round the clock to track and find the suspect potentially responsible for these various bombings around Austin, Texas, they are confident in identifying the man as 24-year-old Mark Anthony Conditt.

Officials say Conditt used “exotic” batteries that one could not find in a regular convenience store or even an electronic store. Most likely these unusual batteries originated in Asia and had to be ordered online; however they became the signature property that allowed investigators to quickly connect the various explosions to the same suspect after they took surveillance footage from a FedEx store which showed Conditt dropping off packages containing the explosives.

As SWAT forces began encircling him to bring him into custody, Conditt died in his vehicle after detonating a bomb on the side of Interstate 35. The authorities were able to track him once he turned his cell phone on and found him at a motel in Round Rock, within Austin’s metropolitan area. Authorities then engaged in a pursuit down the highway, which ultimately led to Conditt’s death.

No factual information, outside of speculative theories, has been reported on what Conditt’s motives might have been, but he is the key suspect in a recent series of bombs that have terrorized Austin. One neighbor to the Conditt family said that Mark was “a very normal kid” and that the family is “extremely nice.” A 2012 blog linked to Mark Anthony Conditt provides the only contextual information about the young man’s ideologies. The blog, supposedly made for a high school government class, includes conservative views about gay marriage and abortion among many other hot topics.

“I am not that politically inclined. I view myself as a conservative, but I don’t think I have enough information to defend my stance as well as it should be defended,” a description of the writer reads. “The reasons I am taking this class is because I want to understand the US government, and I hope that it will help me clarify my stance, and then defend it.”

Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said, “This is the culmination of three very long weeks for our community. We still need to remain vigilant to ensure no other packages or devices have been left in the community.”