Serial Bomber Loose in Your Area? Here’s What to do
The rash of bombs sent through the mail to Austin have people in the area deeply alarmed and concerned for their safety. There is a hesitancy to avoid the locations affected. People are wary of going into downtown Austin, near Post Offices.
Warning Signs to Look For
• An unexpected delivery
• Excessive postage
• Misspelled words
• Badly written address
• No return address
• A note that the package is personal or confidential
• Oily stains, strange scents, powder residue or protruding wires
Do not open, move or handle the package. Call 911. And wash your hands right away.
The explosions began on March 2. Two people have been killed and one seriously injured. At first, the bombs seemed to target specific residences. Three bombs were left in packages outside private residences. The latest one appears to be a random attack, which was set up with a trip wire near a field.
Police Instructions
Police said residents in Austin should report any suspicious items they see, “whether it be a package, a bag, a backpack or anything that looks out of place.”
“These devices can explode in many ways, either by being moved or being opened,” said Austin police chief Brian Manley. “So that’s why I want to reiterate the importance that if you see something that’s out of place, do not handle it, do not move it, do not touch it. Call us.”
Why Bombers Bomb
Asked why someone would start a bombing campaign, forensic psychiatrist Mark Welner told ABC News that “Bombers create a spectacle to draw attention. They may be motivated to draw attention to themselves and their power to hold a community in fear, or may attach to a cause to draw attention to it. The key point is that a spectacle killer is destructively motivated even before the crimes begin, but attaches to a cause that he thinks justifies violence.”
Welner teaches at Mount Sinai Medical School in New York City. He’s best known for developing the “Depravity Standard.” That measure will help judges and police decide what crimes deserve more severe punishment.
He had advice for communities facing an attack from domestic terrorists. “Enlist the community to be vigilant and to watch their communities, film with their smart phones to capture the out-of-the-ordinary, and to report what is suspicious. Serial violent offenders are often identified by tips from people who spotted something or someone who does not add up.”
A watchful community will increase the chances of the bomber being caught, he said. “And the serial bomber does not want to be caught.”
