Austin Bombings: Package Explodes at Texas FedEx Facility, Feared to Be Connected to Prior Blasts

The explosion injured one person in the sorting area of the facility, Schertz Police in a statement.
APTN

Police said it was not immediately clear where the package was headed.

A package believed to have been en route to Austin exploded at a FedEx facility near San Antonio Tuesday, in the fifth explosion to rock Texas in the last month. 

The explosion injured one person in the sorting area of the facility, police in the city of Schertz said in a statement.

The injured employee was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Two packages were found at the facility, but only one exploded, KSAT reported

The incident is the fifth of its kind, following the detonation of four recent package bombs that have killed two people.

FBI San Antonio spokeswoman Michelle Lee told CNN that the latest bombing may have been connected to the first four attacks.

“We suspect it is related to our investigation,” Lee said.

She told the Austin American-Statesman that an official determination cannot be made until investigators have an opportunity to look at the evidence.

The four devices that previously went off were similar in construction, indicating they were the work of the same bomb-maker. 

The first bombing, on March 2, killed Anthony Stephan House, a 39-year-old black man, while the second bomb, which went off on March 12, killed 17-year-old Draylen Mason, an African-American teen. Mason’s mother was critically injured in that blast as well.

Investigators believe the third bomb, which critically injured a 75-year-old Latina woman, may have been intended for a black family’s home. 

The fourth bomb’s tripwire went off shortly after police called on the suspected bomb-maker to explain his motives. That incident injured two white men.

Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said Tuesday that his department is investigating the incidents, along with the FBI and ATF.

“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; do not approach it,” Manley tweeted. “Call 911 immediately.”

The San Antonio Police also cautioned citizens to exercise caution if a package is delivered to their home or place of work, especially if it arrives unexpectedly.

“Packages left by legitimate mail carriers should have a PVI label, which is a computer generated postage mark that signifies the item was handled by USPS personnel,” police said. 

Legitimate packages should come with a tracking number and markings indicating the city and date on which the parcel was processed, officials said.

"When in doubt, remember the following: DO NOT TOUCH OR MOVE the parcel, CREATE DISTANCE and notify the authorities immediately," SAPD said.

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