Chief: Bombing Suspect Blew Himself Up as Cops Closed In

The Austin bombing suspect was located by police and blew himself up in his car as a SWAT team closed in, Austin Police Chief Brian Manley told reporters at a press conference early Wednesday. The chief said a SWAT team officer also shot at the suspect, who was tracked to a hotel, the AP reports. Manley said the suspect, who is believed to have killed two people and injured several others in a spate of bombings that terrified the city, is a 24-year-old white male, reports the Austin American-Statesman. The chief said no motive is known at this time and the suspect's identity will not be released until his next of kin is notified.

"The suspect is deceased and has significant injuries from detonating a bomb inside his vehicle," the chief said. He said one SWAT officer was slightly injured in the blast. Manley warned that people should remain on the lookout for more explosive devices, saying "we do not know where he has been in the past 24 hours." Earlier, a police official told the American-Statesman that the suspect was identified with information from a FedEx store an explosive parcel was shipped from. The BBC reports that surveillance images of a man with blond hair carrying multiple parcels in the FedEx store were released early Wednesday. (More Austin stories.)