Package believed to be bound for Austin explodes at Texas FedEx facility, police say
Last edited Tue Mar 20, 2018, 09:50 AM - Edit history (2)
Source: Washington Post
A package believed to be bound for Austin exploded at a Texas FedEx facility overnight, law enforcement officials said early Tuesday. The explosion occurred at a facility in Schertz, Tex., just northeast of San Antonio sometime around 1 a.m., said FBI Special Agent Michelle Lee. ATF spokeswoman Nicole Strong said that early indications are that no one was injured.
A law enforcement source said that police are investigating whether the explosion was related to the other four in Austin, and that it is definitely a concern of ours.
The incident happened as investigators scrambled for clues at the scene of another mysterious explosion Sunday in Austin, the fourth in a string of attacks in the city this month. Authorities believe they are the work of a sophisticated serial bomber who has been terrorizing Austin with increasingly complex devices.
Sundays blast in Austin, which injured two men walking through a residential area, marked an escalation in both the tactics and skills displayed by the bomber or bombers, police said. While the three previous devices were hidden in packages delivered to homes in residential neighborhoods, the fourth device anchored to a for-sale sign was left on the side of the road and was rigged with a tripwire, showing a higher level of sophistication, a higher level of skill, said Brian Manley, the interim Austin police chief.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/03/20/package-believed-to-be-bound-for-austin-explodes-at-texas-fedex-facility-police-say/?utm_term=.2df71e1a1c2b
UPDATE - Just heard on Madison @ 9:45 am EDT - Austin police responding to a another suspicious package near Fedex facility at the airport in the Austin area. According to the below, they received a call early this morning -
That facility is at 4117 McKinney Falls Parkway, near the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Austin police confirm they are investigating after a call came in at 6:19 a.m. Deputies from the Travis County Sheriff's Office are also on scene, as well as members of the Austin Fire Department and Austin-Travis County EMS.
APD confirmed the intersection of McKinney Falls Parkway and Burleson Road is closed to traffic. Check alternate routes here.
Around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday a package bomb went off at a FedEx Ground facility in Schertz, Texas, about 75 miles southwest of Austin. Officials say that package was bound for Austin. This comes in the wake of four package bombings in Austin in the past three weeks, in which two people have died and four people have been hurt.
http://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/heavy-police-presence-at-fedex-near-austin-airport/1062630735
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Wow. This is getting bad. This IS "terrorism".
A package believed to be bound for Austin exploded at a Texas FedEx facility overnight, law enforcement officials said early Tuesday.
The explosion occurred at a FedEx facility in Schertz, Tex., just northeast of San Antonio sometime around 1 a.m., said FBI Special Agent Michelle Lee. She did not have the exact time.
ATF spokeswoman Nicole Strong said that early indications are that no one was injured.
This is a developing story.
Edit to add that I didn't realize the details of the bomb that was "anchored to a for-sale sign" where the tripwire was attached. YIKES!
Wwcd
(6,288 posts)BumRushDaShow
(128,452 posts)dalton99a
(81,392 posts)christx30
(6,241 posts)This one just detonated early. Hope they can find the tracking number and protect it's intended recipient.
bucolic_frolic
(43,044 posts)anchored to a for sale sign. a specific real estate broker? or just generic?
Maybe a disgruntled home owner who has some beef with the industry? foreclosure, or didn't get his price?
Reality trumps mystery writers every day in America. Sad state of affairs.
JI7
(89,240 posts)They or at least someone in those homes went to the same church ?
It doesn't necessarily mean something since it wouldn't be unusual for people in the same area to attend the same church.
I wonder if the fedex one had an address on it which could be an intended target.
BumRushDaShow
(128,452 posts)it had an address for Austin. I will depend on how much of that was left after the explosion though to get an exact address.
I did hear on the radio that this package had nails/screws and other shrapnel in it, so that is nasty as hell!
End Of The Road
(1,397 posts)So it shouldnt depend on whats left of label in Schertz. But it may be a process of elimination to determine which package bound for Austin from Schertz never got delivered.
BumRushDaShow
(128,452 posts)That would be the issue as Austin is fairly large and Schertz is not podunk in size, thus having an intact label would be helpful.
Silver1
(721 posts)And whether it was picked up by FeDex or dropped off, hopefully with camera footage that shows even more.
Frightening!
forgotmylogin
(7,520 posts)why is this so hard to track down? You can't just drop FedEx packages in a box...can you? Doesn't someone receive the package at the point of origin? Maybe I'm mixing it up with UPS or USPS?
B2G
(9,766 posts)The other packages were left on porches and not shipped via any carrier.
End Of The Road
(1,397 posts)I did a quick search and located at least six 24-hr Fed-Ex drop boxes in San Antonio, and many other drop boxes with limited hours due to their location inside a building or business. The boxes can handle packages only up to a certain size, but certainly bigger than a typical mailbox drop off. (Im not suggesting package originated in SA, just used it as example.)
christx30
(6,241 posts)On Sunday was a tripwire. It was at a stop for a school bus, indicating that children were the target.
Were the first two delivered by a package service? I thought it was just dropped off by someone in a car? So this would be a 3rd MO.
B2G
(9,766 posts)ffr
(22,665 posts)https://www.democraticunderground.com/110314182
These crazy people are getting their marching orders from some place. And I don't think it's from OP-EDs in the NYT.
BumRushDaShow
(128,452 posts)on the move....
Some may have been under (some) surveillance based on any reported suspicious behavior and get caught before anything happens but others....
B2G
(9,766 posts)FedEx facility by the airport.
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/nation-world/national/article205967344.html
Initech
(100,038 posts)This is full blown terrorism!
B2G
(9,766 posts)christx30
(6,241 posts)According to U.S. Rep Lloyd Doggett.
herding cats
(19,558 posts)There's rumor from local police this location may be where the bomb which exploded in Schertz was shipped from.
A Sunset Valley Police officer at the scene told KXAN's Alyssa Goard said the package that exploded at the Schertz facility was shipped from the Brodie location. Sunset Valley police says it is assisting the FBI by providing perimeter security as it investigates.
http://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/heavy-police-presence-at-fedex-near-austin-airport/1062630735
christx30
(6,241 posts)That's the one that I always go to to make copies and get stuff printed. This is nuts.
End Of The Road
(1,397 posts)herding cats
(19,558 posts)He may have picked it because it was close, or because it's not as busy as ones in Austin proper.
They just reported there were two packages in Schertz and only one exploded.