Austin Serial Bomber Planned To Blow Himself Up In Crowded Eatery

AUSTIN, TX — The suspected serial bomber behind a campaign of terror in Austin that killed two had plans to blow himself up at a fast-food restaurant filled with people, according to a cell phone recording he left behind before killing himself.

Mark Anthony Conditt, 23, described himself as a "psychopath" in the 28-minute recording police have labeled as a confession, sources familiar with the matter told the Austin American-Statesman. "I wish I were sorry, but I am not," he is said to have added in referencing his violent rampage, according to the report.

One of his most chilling revelations prior to using one of his explosive devices to kill himself as police closed in: A promise to enter a crowded McDonald's restaurant to explode himself if he felt that police were closing in, the Statesman reported.

Austin Interim Police Chief Brian Manley revealed the existence of the recording during a press conference on Wednesday after the serial bomber's death. Manley said it's believed Conditt recorded the message on his cell phone the night before he killed himself, likely between the hours of 9 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Conditt's death put an end to a three-week period in which explosive parcels were used to kill two people and injure others. He killed himself Wednesday morning by detonating one of his bombs during a police pursuit just outside Austin.

In a separate report, the Statesman learned the bomb found at a FedEx facility in Southeast Austin Tuesday morning was addressed to an employee of Austin Med Spa located downtown, the employee's mother told the newspaper. The woman said FBI agents and local police told her that her daughter was to have been the recipient of the parcel bomb at the sorting facility found at the FedEx store at 4117 McKinney Falls Parkway, she told the Statesman.

This development changes the perception advanced by investigators that the serial bombers' targets were random, and not driven by hate or specific ideology.

The interactive map below shows the points where explosive devices went off during the three-week terror campaign. The site in Round Rock, Texas, is where the serial bomber blew himself up as police closed in.

Here's video of Austin Police Department Interim Police Chief Brian Manley announcing the serial bomber's death:

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>>> Read the full story at Austin American-Statesman

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