Austin police chief calls bomber ‘domestic terrorist’

The Austin police chief says a “domestic terrorist” set off a series of explosions that killed two people and severely wounded four others in the Texas capital.

Chief Brian Manley had previously hesitated to label the bombings domestic terrorism, citing the ongoing investigation.

But at a meeting Thursday on the police and community response to the bombings, Manley labeled the accused bomber a “domestic terrorist for what he did to us.”

Mark Conditt blew himself up as authorities approached on March 21. He had planted bombs that terrorized Austin for weeks.

Manley previously called Conditt a “very troubled young man,” drawing criticism that the bomber would have been labeled a terrorist more quickly if he had not been a white man.