Austin bomber, 24, kills himself with seventh device as cops swoop in to arrest him – after releasing CCTV of the white man posting two devices at FedEx office targeting people of color

• The Austin bomber, a 24-year-old white man, blew himself up as police tried to arrest him on Wednesday
• Police do not yet have a motive for the attacks, but say the man was not previously known to them
• Public are warned more bombs could still be out there as they do not know the bomber’s final movements
• Death comes after CCTV emerged showing suspect posting two packages at a Austin FedEx office on Sunday
• Two people were killed and six injured in bombings that began on March 2 and targeted ethnic minorities

The Austin bomber is dead after blowing himself up as police and FBI agents tried to arrest him in the early hours of Wednesday.

The bomber, a 24-year-old white male who was from central Texas, killed himself and injured an officer when he detonated a bomb inside his car as police surrounded him several miles north of the city around 3am.

Despite the death police have warned that more bombs could still be out there because they do not know where the bomber has been in the last 24 hours.

President Donald Trump, who was earlier criticized for failing to speak out over the shootings, tweeted ‘Austin bombing suspect is dead’ on Wednesday morning. ‘Great job by law enforcement and all concerned,’ he added.

The bomber had targeted black and Latino neighborhoods. The first two victims were African American while the third was Hispanic. Two white men were injured after triggering a tripwire, while two FedEx employees were hurt after a bomb exploded at a sorting facility.

Officers had tracked him to a hotel in Williamson County, several miles north of Austin, before a chase broke out and he killed himself, local media reports

While the motive behind the attacks is still unclear, the first two victims came from prominent African American families while the third was Hispanic, leading to accusations that ethnic minorities were the target.

President Trump was also criticized for failing to condemn the bombings at an early stage, with a local NAACP chapter saying that if the victims had been white, he ‘would be apoplectic’.

Officers had anticipated that the man would detonate another bomb, KVUE says.

The death comes just hours after CBS published CCTV showing the bombing suspect at a Fed-Ex office in the south of the city.

The images show a man, possibly wearing a wig and gloves, delivering two packages to the store around 7.30pm on Sunday.

One of the packages subsequently exploded on a conveyor belt at a FedEx sorting facility outside of San Antonio in Schertz.

The other was intercepted at a facility near Austin airport and was later confirmed to contain a bomb.

Authorities believe the same person is connected to the two packages that surfaced Tuesday is also responsible for the four other explosions that began on March 2nd, killing two people and injuring six.

Austin Police Department tweeted that they were working on an officer-involved shooting near the highway, but gave no further details.

The I-35 has been closed in both directions while images from the scene show dozens of law enforcement vehicles parked along the highway.

The first incident occurred on March 2 when a package bomb exploded at a northeast Austin home, killing a 39-year-old Anthony Stephan House.

Two more package bombs then exploded further south on March 12. Draylen Mason, 17, was killed and his mother was wounded after they opened a package in their kitchen.

A 75-year-old Hispanic woman named by family as Esperanza Herrera was severely injured when a package bomb exploded at her home a few hours later.

The trip wire explosion on Sunday came just hours after police made an unusual direct appeal to whomever was responsible for three package bombs that killed two in the past month.

Police still do not know the motive behind the attacks, but say the suspect was not previously known to law enforcement.

Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said officers used CCTV, cell phone data, witness accounts and store receipts to track the bomber to a Red Roof Inn north of Austin.

When officers arrived the man he was sitting inside his vehicle so police called for backup in an attempt to bring him in peacefully.

As reinforcements were arriving the man attempted to drive away, forcing officers to confront him on a frontage road leading on to the I-35 highway.

As police approached the vehicle the man detonated a bomb, killing himself.

One officer fired shots at the vehicle, leading to initial reports that the bomber had been shot dead. The officer will be placed on leave per department protocol.

The bomber’s death comes just hours after CBS published CCTV showing the suspect at a Fed-Ex office in the south of the city.

The images show a man wearing a disguise and delivering two packages to the store around 7.30pm on Sunday.

One of the packages subsequently exploded on a conveyor belt at a FedEx sorting facility outside of San Antonio in Schertz.

The other was intercepted at a facility near Austin airport and was later confirmed to contain a bomb.

Law enforcement sources told KUVE that the tipping point in the investigation came around 9pm Tuesday after the CCTV footage emerged.

That led police to the suspect’s home and allowed them to collect cell phone data which tracked the man to his hotel.

Authorities also got information from Google and from the suspect’s computer history that confirmed the suspect was looking at information on where to go to ship devices.

It is not known if the suspect was planning to deliver a seventh device when police stopped him. Chief Manley said it is not clear why he tried to leave the parking lot.

The suspect has not yet been identified because he has extensive injuries. Once police have established his identity the man’s next of kin will be informed before his name is released.

Nelson Linder, head of the local NAACP chapter who hit out at Trump, said the community was feeling a sense of relief on Wednesday knowing the suspect is dead.

The I-35 has been closed in both directions following the explosion, as officers said they will remain on scene until their investigation has been completed.

Source: Daily Mail