‘I Wish I Were Sorry But I Am Not’: Austin Bomber Suspect On ‘Confession’ Recording

‘I Wish I Were Sorry But I Am Not’: Austin Bomber Suspect On ‘Confession’ Recording
Texas blast suspect Mark Anthony Conditt is seen in this undated handout photo released by Austin Community College in Austin, Texas, U.S. March 21, 2018. (Austin Community College/Handout via Reuters)
Janita Kan
3/23/2018
Updated:
3/23/2018
Austin bombing suspect Mark Conditt left a haunting message for police in his “confession” audio recording where he described himself as a “psychopath,” according to a source familiar with his statements.
“I wish I were sorry but I am not,” Conditt said in the cell phone recording, reported the American-Statesman.

Conditt, 23, has been identified by authorities as the suspect who is responsible for making six explosive devices — five of which detonated — killing two people and injuring five others over a period of three weeks this month in Austin and surrounding areas.

Police said that the 23-year-old killed himself by detonating a bomb after law enforcement confronted him at around 3 a.m. on Wednesday, March 21.

During the 25-minute audio recording, he described himself as a “psychopath” and said he feels as though he has been disturbed since childhood, according to the news website, who obtained the statements from the unidentified law-enforcement sources.

The 23-year-old bombing suspect also promised that he would go inside a crowded McDonald’s to blow himself up if he thought authorities were closing in on him.

According to the American-Statesman, Conditt recorded the 25-minute statement after 9 p.m. on Tuesday starting the statement with: “It’s me again.” He then blamed himself for helping investigators find him by going to a FedEx store in Sunset Valley to mail two explosive devices, allowing himself to be videotaped by store cameras and for outside cameras to capture his license plate.

Conditt also had a laptop computer with him but it was destroyed when he detonated himself with a bomb in his car, reported the news station. Officials said the laptop could have contained other recordings.

Austin Police Chief Brian Manley confirmed in a press conference on Wednesday, March 21, that they had discovered an audio recording on the suspect’s cell phone and classified it as a “confession.” However, limited details of what was in the recording were provided.

“On this recording, the suspect describes the six bombs that he constructed with a level of specificity that he identified the differences among those six bombs. We’ve told you all along that they all had similarities, which they did as far as specific components, but there were also differences between them. And on this recording, he identified what those differences were,” Manley said at the press conference on Wednesday.

Police said Conditt did “not at all mention anything about terrorism nor anything about hate” in the recording.

“Instead, it was the outcry of a very challenged young man, talking about challenges in his personal life which led him to this point,” Manley said.

However, police added the recording did not clarify a motive for the package bombings.

“We’re never going to put a ration behind these acts,” Manley said.

Authorities also revealed the suspect had identified seven explosive devices — five of which detonated, one which was found unexploded at a FedEx facility and another which he detonated in his vehicle. Manley confirmed all seven devices have been identified.

The sources also told the American-Statesman that Conditt acknowledged how his actions left family members without loved ones, and caused permanent injuries to other victims, including an elderly woman.

Police investigations are still ongoing. On Thursday, March 22, police said a second roommate who was detained for questioning has been released.

Austin Police Department continues to urge people to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious.