Experts say solving the Austin bombings cases is proving to be complex.
KHOU 11 News spoke with retired FBI Special Agent Dennis Franks, who spent years handling crisis management operations. He says the goal is always to connect the dots, but in this case, the “dots are spread out right now.”
TIMELINE: Serial bomber terrorizes Central Texas
The latest bombing – the fifth one in recent weeks – was at a FedEx distribution center near San Antonio. Investigators believe it is connected to the previous four bombings in Austin. Those cases include package bombs left on people’s doorsteps and a more sophisticated tripwire that detonated a bomb with metal shrapnel.
Some of the victims appear to be targeted. Others appear to be random. The victims are different races and from different areas of the city, so no pattern has emerged.
Right now, FBI profilers are working around the clock to figure out who is doing this and why.
“I think someone of this nature loves to calculate. They love the planning. That’s what they thrive on," Franks said.
It’s not clear if this is related to domestic or foreign terrorism, or a lone sociopath showing off different attack methods.
“The psychopathy of someone like this is the need for grandiosity," Franks said. "This is a way of satisfying them and at some point, he may be challenged to do more. The problem is, he’s doing that now and there is the collateral of more bombs and harm to people."
Franks says the bomb-maker's skills indicate some level of training beyond the Internet, since working with these materials can be so dangerous.
“It’s very easy to blow yourself up or blow up your fingers,” Franks said.
It’s also not clear if the suspect is working alone. Law enforcement officials have been pleading with the suspect or suspects to open up the lines of communications with them. The latest bombings might have been a response to that plea.