Several military locations in the Washington D.C. area received suspicious packages in the mail recently, with at least one reportedly containing explosive material.
An explosive parcel was sent to the National Defense University at Fort McNair in the nation’s capital, according to a report by CNN. The package arrived at 8:30 a.m., but the building was evacuated and the bomb disarmed, according to Army spokesman Michael L. Howard. It wasn’t the only package of its kind to be received.
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“At 12:10 p.m., 52nd Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal from Fort Belvoir, VA, confirmed the package tested positive for black powder and residue,” Howard said in a statement. “The X-ray conducted indicates suspected GPS and an expedient fuse were attached. The package was rendered safe. No injuries are reported.”
The package was detected by scanning machines in the facility. It was forwarded to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia, according to law enforcement sources that spoke to CNN.
Meanwhile, The National Defense University at Fort McNair was reportedly swept by K-9 units and military personnel before it was finally cleared for re-entry at 1:15 p.m.
The bomb scares come not long after the terrifying three weeks of random explosions in Austin, Texas earlier this month. Mark Anthony Conditt, 23, is suspected of sending explosive packages around the city. His makeshift bombs took two lives and injured several others.
Police finally followed the clues back to Conditt on Wednesday, March 21. In the early hours of the morning, as police and SWAT teams closed in on him, Conditt allegedly took his own life by detonating an explosive inside of his car with him.
The exact motive for Conditt’s attacks have yet to be specified. However, the killer left a 25-minute long recording for police to find after his death. In it, he reportedly confessed to the bombings, and described himself as a “psychopath” who had been mentally ill since childhood.
“I wish I were sorry but I am not,” Conditt reportedly said.
“It is the outcry of a very challenged young man talking about challenges in his life that led him to this point,” Interim Austin Police Chief Brian Manley told reporters on Wednesday night. “I know everybody is interested in a motive and understanding why. And we’re never going to be able to put a (rationale) behind these acts.”
