Suspected Texas bomber kills self as police close in-officials

AUSTIN, Texas, March 21 (Reuters) - A 24-year-old man suspected of a series of deadly bombings around Austin, Texas, blew himself up early on Wednesday as police closed in on him, police officials said.

Police had tracked the suspect to a hotel near Austin, the state's capital city, and were following his vehicle when he pulled to the side of the road and detonated a device, killing himself, Austin Police Chief Brian Manley told reporters near the scene.

"The suspect is deceased and has significant injuries from a blast that occurred from detonating a bomb inside his vehicle," Manley told reporters. He said the suspect was white, but declined to provide his name.

Two Austin police officers were approaching the vehicle when the suspect set off his device. One officer fired at the vehicle and the other sustained a minor injury when the bomb went off, Manley said.

Police had urged residents of the area to treat packages with suspicion during the bombing campaign, and Manley warned residents not to let their guard down yet, since investigators were not sure whether the suspect had placed or sent more bombs.

Police urged residents of the area to treat packages with suspicion during the bombing campaign, and Manley warned residents not to let their guard down yet. "Everybody needs to remember that this investigation is continuing. We still need people to be vigilant," Austin Mayor Steve Adler told the local CBS news affiliate early on Wednesday. "We don't know where the suspect has been the last 24 hours." U.S. President Donald Trump on Twitter congratulated police, saying, "Great job by law enforcement and all concerned!" The first three devices were parcel bombs dropped off in front of homes around Austin neighborhoods. A fourth went off on Sunday night, apparently detonated with a trip wire, and one exploded inside a FedEx Corp facility on Tuesday. The series of bombings began on March 2 and bewildered law enforcement officials, who by Sunday began taking the unusual step of publicly calling on the bomber to get in touch and explain why he was carrying out the attacks. The first two bombs killed black men, raising fears that they were part of a hate crime, but investigators said the later, more random blasts made that less likely. Manley said investigators still had no clear idea of what prompted the suspect to carry out the bombing. "We do not understand what motivated him to do what he did," Manley said. "We don't know if he was on his way to deliver another bomb," Manley said. "He had one with him and that's what he detonated as we approached."