Austin bombings: Bomb that exploded at FedEx centre was mailed from Austin to Austin — as it happened

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Austin bombings: Police confirm use of tripwire

Police in Texas are continuing their hunt for the mystery bomber targeting the citizens of Austin with homemade explosive devices.

A fifth package, an explosive intended for delivery to Austin, exploded at a FedEx postal depot in San Antonio overnight, injuring one female employee.

Two people have been killed by the devices so far and four more wounded in events police assume are connected.

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Key Points

• Package intended for Austin blows up in San Antonio FedEx building
• Police search for 'serial bomber' after fourth explosion rocks Austin
• Everything we know about the Austin bomber so far

[20 March 2018 13:08 · Joe Sommerlad]

Hello and welcome to The Independent's coverage of events in Texas, where police are searching for clues in the case of a "serial bomber" who has been sending homemade nail bombs and explosive packages to the citizens of Austin.

[20 March 2018 13:11 · Joe Sommerlad]

Five devices have exploded so far, with the most recent blowing up at a FedEx postal depot in Schertz, San Antonio - although it was bound for an address in Austin.

FBI agent Michelle Lee has said the bureau believes the latest blast is connected to the four others that have left two dead and injured six in the Lone Star state over the last few days. 

[20 March 2018 13:15 · Joe Sommerlad]

Austin Police Chief Brian Manley has urged local residents to be cautious of suspicious packages and said he believes the attacker is targeting people at random, revealing no connection at present between the targets. 

"The belief that we are now dealing with is someone who uses trip wires shows a higher level of sophistication, a higher level of skill," he said.

[20 March 2018 13:20 · Joe Sommerlad]

Local authorities are continuing to investigate reports of suspicious packages across Austin - with the latest currently underway at another FedEx distribution centre near the city's Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. 

[20 March 2018 13:47 · Joe Sommerlad]

Police say they have now sent a hazardous materials team to the Austin FedEx facility near the airport.

[20 March 2018 13:49 · Joe Sommerlad]

The White House says the federal government is doing "whatever is necessary" to apprehend whomever is responsible for the Austin explosions. 

President Trump's spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders has told Fox News that President Donald Trump is aware of the situation. 

Sanders says federal authorities are working closely with local authorities and have offered their full support and cooperation "to make sure we're doing whatever is necessary and whatever is possible" to stop the explosions and find whomever is responsible.

[20 March 2018 14:11 · Kristin Hugo]

Federal officials have told CBS News that "it's more than possible" that the explosion outside San Antonio is linked to the four previous detonations in Austin.

Details remain unclear, however, including when the package that exploded Tuesday entered the FedEx system, and where it was coming from.

[20 March 2018 15:29 · Kristin Hugo]

An FBI official has said that they have only recently been able to enter the Fed Ex facility outside of San Antonio where a device exploded this morning.

The agent said that they needed to ensure that no other devices were present in the facility, and that they are just now beginning to comb through evidence there.

It remained unclear if the explosion is related to the four package bombs detonated in Austin in the past month, or if it was mailed by a copy-cat bomber.

[20 March 2018 16:16 · Kristin Hugo]

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has told local media that the package bomb that exploded in a FedEx facility outside of San Antonio on its way to Austin was mailed from that same city, according to the Associated Press.

[20 March 2018 18:01 · Kristin Hugo]

A briefing in Austin outside of the FedEx depot there — where a suspicious package was reported Tuesday — provided little information as to the nature of the report that brought police there.

A police spokesperson said that they are still investigating the package there, and reiterated their warning to residents to stay vigilant and be wary of anything out of the ordinary in the city.