Tuesday, March 20, 2018

San Antonio FedEx Bomb Explodes with Shrapnel


By Douglas V. Gibbs
Author, Speaker, Instructor, Radio Host

The headline reads that President Donald Trump is being blasted for remaining silent over the bombings in Texas.  What is he supposed to say?  The modus operandi points towards Islam, but if he says such a thing before there is hard evidence revealing that the serial bomber is an Islamic terrorist, he would be blasted even worse.  Or, maybe he's being attacked because the bombings are happening in historically black and Hispanic neighborhoods, and his silence is being interpreted as some kind of sick approval.  But, if he'd said something, especially if he hinted that the attacks might be committed by Islamic terrorism, he'd be called a racist, bigot, and Islamophobe.  So, he holds back, and then he's blasted for saying nothing.

Since the bombings seem to be targeting blacks, the media is suggesting that the attacks may be hate crimes - and while it has not been said, since it is in Texas, I am betting that their assumption is that some republican redneck is behind it all. 

The first two bombs killed black men and investigators believed that the third, which injured a 75-year-old Latina woman, may have been intended for a black family's home.

There are no leads, so far, we are being told.  Even though it is early in the investigation, and Trump is simply waiting for hard facts before saying or Tweeting anything, the truth is, there is no satisfying the liberal left media.  In the world of Donald J. Trump, he's damned if he does, and damned if he doesn't.

The latest bomb was not in Austin, but exploded at a FedEx office in San Antonio.  The parcel was filled with 'nails and shrapnel'.  One female employee was taken to the hospital after suffering a mild injury caused by the concussion of the blast - ringing in her ears, and headache.  About 75 people were working in the plant at the time of the explosion, but the blast was small enough that it only affected the immediate area.

The package was bound for Austin where all of the other package bombs have gone off.  So far, prior to the San Antonio explosion, four other attacks this month in Austin that have left two people dead and four others injured.

Shortly after the explosion in San Antonio, emergency crews were called to a FedEx facility in Austin following reports of a suspicious package, as well.

The ability to delay explosions in the manner these packages have been rigged takes expertise as it is.  The police are saying that the devices appear to be getting more sophisticated each time.  The latest Austin explosion was triggered by a tripwire along a street in the city.  The first three explosions had been package bombs, which went off when the recipients went to open the packages.

The package at the FedEx facility in San Antonio detonated as it was moving from one conveyor belt to another.  The jarring motion likely set it off.  According to local media, the bomb had been mailed from Austin and was addressed to a home in Austin.

Is there anything similar about the recipients?  Are there ties to political figures?  Have the recipients been critical of a particular group, or belong to a particular group, therefore, making them targets?  So far the only thing they seem to have in common is that they all live in Austin, Texas.  There's that, and since one of the blasts was a tripwire in a public area, that suggests no particular target, which means this may all be simply random attacks.

FBI Special Agent Michelle Lee, who is a part of the investigation, said although it is still early in the investigation, it is likely all five bombings are related.

The trip wire bomb does show a level of sophistication higher than the previous bombs.  While it does not necessarily suggest a military background, that could be a possibility.  

Since the emergence of the bombings, Austin Police have responded to more than 1,000 calls of suspicious packages.

Local and state police and hundreds of federal agents are investigating, and the reward for information leading to an arrest has climbed to $115,000.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

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