Austin Bombing Suspect’s Former College Is Aiding Investigation

Scott Olson, Getty Images

Austin Community College is working with local and federal authorities investigating a 23-year-old former student who is suspected of terrorizing the city with a series of explosions that killed two people and injured four others before blowing himself up in his car early Wednesday.

Authorities have identified the bombing suspect as Mark Anthony Conditt, a white male from Pflugerville, a suburb just north of Austin. A spokeswoman for Austin Community College confirmed that Conditt attended the college as a business-administration major from 2010 to 2012 but did not graduate. She was unable to provide more information because of federal privacy laws that protect student records.

Conditt set off a bomb in his car as SWAT teams and other law-enforcement officers closed in on him, the police said. The blast killed him and slightly injured an officer.

Police officials said he is believed to be responsible for all of the bombings that have shaken the city since March 2. They urged area residents to remain vigilant because it was possible he had planted more explosives before detonating the one he had in his car.

The two men who died in blasts attributed to Conditt were a 39-year-old father and a 17-year-old musician who had been accepted to study music at the University of Texas at Austin.

Douglas Dempster, dean of the university’s College of Fine Arts, released a statement calling the young victim, Draylen Mason, “every inch a musician” and “the very most remarkable talent in a most remarkable youth orchestra program.”

Courtesy of Austin Community College

Among the writings Conditt left behind, which authorities were sifting through as they searched for possible motives, were a series of blog posts he wrote in 2012 at age 17 as part of a class in U.S. government at the community college.

In a blog post for that class, he wrote that he considered himself conservative but didn’t have enough information to defend his positions. “The reasons I am taking this class is because I want to understand the US government, and I hope that it will help me clarify my stance, and then defend it.”

Conditt, who had been home-schooled until enrolling at the college’s Northridge campus, wrote against gay marriage and abortion, advocated eliminating sex-offender registries, and said he favored the death penalty. It is unclear whether his political views had anything to do with the bombings.

A classmate in his U.S. government course said she was horrified to learn that she had been sharing a classroom with someone whose alleged actions already had her on edge as she drove around Austin with her 6-year-old son, wondering when the next bomb would blow up. She lives close to where an explosive with a tripwire had recently detonated, seriously injuring two men.

“A coworker of mine who lived in that neighborhood sent me the bomber’s blog post, and I said it reminded me of an assignment I had in one of my ACC classes,” McKenna McIntosh said. “Less than five minutes later, a reporter called me from New York to say my blog post was linked to his. When I saw his picture, I walked into my office shaking. It freaked me out.” She remembers Conditt’s face, but nothing unusual about him.

Cassia Schultz, 21, told BuzzFeed News that she and Conditt both belonged to a Bible study and outdoor group for homeschooled children called Righteous Invasion of Truth, where activities included archery and gun skills.

“A lot of us were very into science; we would discuss chemicals and how to mix them and which ones were dangerous,” she said. “We were into weapons and stuff. A lot of us did role-playing, and RPG [role-playing games]; we’d have foam weapons and act out a battle.”

Neighbors and friends interviewed by local reporters said he had participated in Bible study and rock climbing, and was opinionated and sometimes intimidating.

According to a local job-recruiting website, Conditt had worked for a manufacturing company in the area as a “purchasing agent/buyer/shipping and receiving” and had previously worked repairing computers.

In February 2013, his mother, Danene Conditt, posted the following on Facebook:

“I officially graduated Mark from High School on Friday. 1 down, 3 to go. He has 30 hrs of college credit too, but he’s thinking of taking some time to figure out what he wants to do….maybe a mission trip. Thanks to everyone for your support over the years.”

Update (3/21/2018, 6:43 p.m.): This article has been updated with comments from two women who had interacted with Conditt.

Katherine Mangan writes about community colleges, completion efforts, and job training, as well as other topics in daily news. Follow her on Twitter @KatherineMangan, or email her at katherine.mangan@chronicle.com.