Reward For Suspect In Austin Home Bombings Grows To $115K

AUSTIN, TX — The reward for information leading to an arrest of the person behind three recent home explosions has been increased to $115,000 after another $50,000 was added on Sunday.

Interim Police Chief Brian Manley announced the upped reward during an afternoon press briefing on Sunday. The $50,000 added reward money is on top $15,000 previously offered by the governor's office and the original $50,000 offered by police last week.

Manley said more than 500 law enforcement personnel among the Austin Police Department, Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives agency (ATF) and FBI are involved in the investigation so far following up on 435 leads resulting in 236 interviews. So far, police have received more than 730 calls about suspicious packages as of Sunday, Manley said.

Three package bombs since March 2 have killed two people and injured two others. Manley was joined by Special Agent In Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Special Agent in Charge Frederick J. Milanowski, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Houston Field Division in making the announcement of the bolstered reward.

Manley urged residents not to handle any unexpected packages they may receive, noting that all three of the mailed boxes sent to victims exploded only after being handled. He especially warned residents returning from Spring Break to be extra vigilant and not handle any packages that may have been sent in their absence. The chief suggested the only packages to be considered safe at this point are those sent via official parcel processors, including the U.S. Postal Service, DHL, Federal Express and United Parcel Service.

Anyone receiving a suspicious package should call 911 immediately, Manley said.

The interim chief pleaded with whoever is behind the package bombings to cease and desist: “These events in Austin have garnered worldwide attention, and we assure you that we are listening,” Manley said, addressing the unknown bomber directly. “We want to understand what brought you to this point, and we want to listen to you. We hope that you will reach out to us before anyone else is injured or anyone else is killed out of this event."

In related news, a man was arrested after making a bomb threat on Saturday during SXSW that led to the cancellation of a concert by The Roots. After an investigation, police determined that the suspect they charged with making the threat, Trevor Weldon Ingram, has been ruled out as a suspect in the package bombings. Still, Ingram was charged with making a terroristic threat and booked into the Travis County Jail under $15,000 bond.

The bomb threat targeted the location of a much-anticipated Live Nation showcase billed as "Bud Light x The Roots and Friends." Although police later inspected the site and cleared it, the show was canceled outright as a result of the threat.

Click below to listen to the full police briefing:

>>> Trevor Weldon Ingram booking photo via Austin Police Department