The suspect in a series of parcel bomb attacks in Texas in the United States blew himself up on Wednesday after the police moved in on him.
Police surrounded the man -- identified by US media as Mark Anthony Conditt -- outside a hotel in the suburbs of Austin, where two people were killed and several others injured in the bombings that began on March 2.
Police zeroed in on the suspect -- believed responsible for five explosions -- over the past 24 to 36 hours as evidence came in from video footage and witness accounts, Austin police chief Brian Manley said.
The suspect detonated a device in his car and later died, Manley told an early morning news conference after the dramatic end to the massive manhunt involving hundreds of federal agents and local police.
"The suspect is deceased," the police chief said. "It has been a long almost three weeks for the community of Austin."
Police said the suspect was 24, but some reports citing public records said he was 23.
While the search for the bomber is now at an end, authorities warned that he may have planted other explosives before his death. And the motive behind the attacks remains unknown.
"The investigation continues because there's still outstanding questions," city Mayor Steve Adler told CNN. "We don't know where the suspect has been the last 24 hours."
Manley noted it was still unclear whether the man was acting alone or with accomplices.
Fred Milanowski, a senior officer at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), warned that the danger was not yet over.
"We want to make sure that if people see suspicious packages or bags, that they continue to call 911 so that we can respond and deal with them," Milanowski said.
President Donald Trump offered his congratulations to police, writing on Twitter: "AUSTIN BOMBING SUSPECT IS DEAD. Great job by law enforcement and all concerned!"
CBS affiliate KEYE in Austin published what it said were photos taken from security cameras of the suspect, wearing a blue baseball cap, gloves and possibly a wig of long, straw-blond hair as he dropped off packages Sunday at a FedEx office in Austin.
One of the bombs went off early Tuesday at a FedEx sorting facility in Schertz, south of Austin.
On Wednesday, a contingent of law enforcement officers were seen Wednesday morning at a home in the Austin suburb of Pflugerville. Television station KXAN reported that the property may be the residence of the suspected bomber.
Residents of Austin have lived under siege for three weeks. They placed more than 1,200 calls to police to report suspicious activities and items since investigators first realized last week that they were dealing with a serial bomber.
"I think everybody is taking a deep breath this morning. It's a little tempered by the fact that the investigation is not over yet," Adler said.
Miguel Alvarado, who was heading to a park with his son in Austin, told AFP: "People are a little shaken up."
A neighbor who watched the Austin bombing suspect grow up said he "always seemed like he was smart" and "polite."
Jeff Reeb stated that he's lived next to the parents of Conditt for about 17 years and that they are good neighbors.
Reeb said Conditt and his grandson played together into middle school and that Conditt visited his parents regularly.
The parents live a few miles from the Pflugerville home where Conditt lived with roommates. Reeb said Conditt was in the process of gutting the house and remodeling it, which meant a lot of hammers and nails around frequently
Ben Burroughs, who lives near the FedEx store where the suspect mailed the last two explosive packages, said he was concerned about what police may yet find.
"I'm also nervous about the devices that may still be out there," he told AFP.
A Republican congressman from Texas stated the Austin bombing suspect bought a lot of his bomb-making equipment from a Home Depot store in his hometown.
US Rep. Michael McCaul, a Republican from Austin who is chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, told KXAN-TV that authorities retraced the suspect's steps after he was caught on surveillance video at an Austin-area FedEx store.
McCaul said investigators obtained the suspect's license plate number and were able to identify him, then track what he purchased at a Home Depot.
