According to the Austin police chief, serial-bombing suspect Mark Conditt recorded a 25-minute confession on his phone before his reign of terror ended with his death Wednesday morning.
#BREAKING: Mark Conditt recorded a 25-min confession APD Chief Manley says.
— Lauren McGaughy (@lmcgaughy) March 21, 2018
“He does not at all mention anything about terrorism nor does he mentioned anything about hate, but instead it’s an outcry of a very challenged young man.”https://t.co/emYWfwiUwx #Austinbombings
Chief Brian Manley says the confession shows that Conditt was deeply disturbed and did not have a conventional motive such as terrorism or hate crimes.
“He does not at all mention anything about terrorism nor does he mention anything about hate, but instead it’s the outcry of a very challenged young man,” Chief Manley told reporters Wednesday evening.
“What was the motive? What was the reason? Sometimes we can’t assign reason to irrational acts,” he said, elaborating that there was also “no reason given” why he targeted the people he did.
SEE ALSO: Mark Conditt motive sought in Austin bombings
According to the chief, the 25-minute confession describes specifically how he built seven bombs, six of which he scattered throughout the Austin area, killing two people and injuring four others. The seventh he used to kill himself as a SWAT team closed in on him.
“There were indications … that he knew we were getting very close to him,” Chief Manley said, adding that the confession suggested that his bombing spree could have become much worse if it hadn’t been stopped.
“There were also indications about actions he was willing to take in the future,” the chief said.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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