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A Terrorist Bomber Killed 2 People and Kept Austin in Fear for Weeks – but He Was White and Christian
Two people are dead. Six others injured. And for three weeks the people of Austin, Texas were terrorized, warned by police to stay in their homes if possible, and to not open or even get near any suspicious packages.
It all ended in the early hours of Wednesday morning, when Mark Anthony Conditt blew himself up as police approached him.
Now, the interim police chief of Austin has revealed a 25-minute taped confession was found on Conditt’s phone.
Here’s what The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
“Conditt never discussed terrorism or hatred as a possible motivation,” Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said. “Instead, the recording appeared to be ‘the outcry of a very challenged young man, talking about challenges in his personal life, that led him to this point,’ according to the police chief.”
The Intercept’s Shaun King posted a series of tweets:
After the Austin bomber murdered Anthony Stephan House 20 days ago, his family said police tried to frame Stephan for blowing himself up.
The police then announced the community had nothing to worry about.
It caused Stephan’s family great shame and gave the murderer cover. pic.twitter.com/qH6w6HUSxl
— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) March 21, 2018
Let’s pause to remember Draylen Mason, the second victim of this domestic terrorist. Called a sweet soul, a prodigy, the smartest person in the room. Accepted into the best colleges in the country.
This nation must prevent white terrorism before it happens. Must be a priority. pic.twitter.com/0tQV2Kpvt6
— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) March 21, 2018
Conditt was white, 23-years old, described himself as a “conservative” on a blog he wrote as part of a college course, although he had been homeschooled until college. He also explained why “gay marriage should be illegal,” including because it is “not natural.” Conditt also believed women should not have sex unless they have the financial ability to raise a child, but he did think sex offenders should not have to be registered.
On Tuesday, the White House announced the bombings – five in total from March 2 to March 20 – were not terrorism, despite the very nature of a crime designed to terrorize an entire city.
.@POTUS mourns for victims of the recent bombings in Austin. We are monitoring the situation, federal authorities are coordinating w/ local officials. We are committed to bringing perpetrators of these heinous acts to justice. There is no apparent nexus to terrorism at this time.
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) March 20, 2018
Once Conditt was dead and his identity revealed, The New York Times did what it often does when the criminal is white:
The Austin bombing suspect was a quiet, “nerdy” young man who came from a “tight-knit, godly family,” said Donna Sebastian Harp, who had known the family for nearly 18 years https://t.co/psiAniAMuK
— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 21, 2018
Social media exploded with anger at the Times, which last month hired a new editorial board lead opinion writer who, it turns out, acknowledged being friends with Neo-Nazis. The New York Times, it should be noted, also came under fire for normalizing a white supremacist Nazi sympathizer this past November.
Here’s how some reacted to The Times’ generous profile of Austin terrorist bomber Mark Anthony Conditt:
White male privilege is detonating 5 bombs, executing 2 Black men, & media calls you a “quiet nerdy young man from a tight knit godly family.”
Fixed it @nytimes—Stop normalizing Terrorism.#AustinTerrorist #WhereWasHeRadicalized? pic.twitter.com/OTLNOCABMO
— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@MuslimIQ) March 21, 2018
No, Ahmed Mohamed (the boy who got arrested for bringing a homemade clock to school), that young man is nerdy. This guy was a racist murderer.
Is it just me or is the NYT increasingly adopting a glib credulity that reflects poorly on their shifting editorial choices?— daniel molitor 🏳️🌈Ⓥ (@molitron) March 21, 2018
Exhibit A: a serial bombing terrorist.
Exhibit B: an innocent child.This is not objectivity. The @nytimes is in the business of humanizing white murderers and demonizing murder victims of color. #WhitePrivilege pic.twitter.com/hKEn81gp6L
— Matthew Stender (@StenderWorld) March 21, 2018
Have you ever written a headline calling a Muslim terrorist “quiet and nerdy” and from a “tight-knit, godly family,” or is that kind of sh-t just reserved for white Christian terrorists?
— Lindsie (@Lindsie_Rose) March 21, 2018
Remember when we used to call white people terrorists when they bombed people? #MarkAnthonyConditt was a quiet, “nerdy” young man who came from a “tight-knit, godly family,” – @nytimes pic.twitter.com/69ZkTaQxaA
— Mark Elliott (@markmobility) March 21, 2018
Who writes this sh!t? #quiet nerdy young man. He’s an F’ing terrorist who killed innocent people… #FFS #NYTimes
— Ellen, like the show 🌊 Resist (@CPBuffy19) March 21, 2018
What in the FUCK is wrong with you, @nytimes?! He was a God damn terrorist! A “nerdy” dude who was “Godly”?!
I’ll say it again: If you still subscribe to the NYT, the joke is on you.#AustinBombings https://t.co/uV0BnrYnq5
— Alex Singer (@AlexCSinger16) March 21, 2018
Hey thanks, @nytimes! I only had to wait 30min & three stories to find out that this was a Right Wing conservative terrorist. I got to read about how he was a “nerdy kid from a tight-knit godly family who is working with the police” first. pic.twitter.com/9zPxtRq34m
— Rational Disconnect (@RationalDis) March 21, 2018
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