An explosion injured two people in Austin, Texas, on Sunday night in an attack that may be connected to the three bombings in recent weeks that killed two and injured two others.
The explosion, which occurred in a southwestern neighborhood, differed from the other recent bombings, which occurred in eastern neighborhoods of the city, in that it appears not to have been a package bomb placed on a doorstep. Austin police chief Brian Manley told reporters that it was caused by a “device” and that it was “very possible that this device was a device that activated by someone either handling, kicking or coming into contact with a tripwire that activated the device.”
Two men in their 20s were injured. According to Manley, they were either riding their bikes or pushing them at the time of the explosion.
Additionally, authorities told Good Morning America that the victims of Sunday night’s bombing were white. All previous victims were black and hispanic, leading police to consider the possibility of a hate crime. The possibility has still not been ruled out, authorities said. Police have not definitively linked Sunday’s explosion to the recent package bombings.
The earlier bombs killed 17-year-old Draylen Mason and 39-year-old Anthony Stephen House.
Earlier on Sunday, the FBI increased its award for information leading to arrests and convictions to $100,000.
