Attempted Bombing at South Austin Clinic

Authorities will be holding a press conference later this afternoon to discuss the explosive device placed in the parking lot of the Austin Women's Health Center yesterday.

The package was found about 2 p.m. Wednesday in the parking lot of the Austin Women's Health Center at 1902 S. Interstate 35, north of Oltorf Street. The clinic provides services including abortion.

The southbound feeder road remained closed much of the evening, and I-35 was closed briefly in both directions while authorities used a detonation device to open the container about 6 p.m.

Officials from the city's Homeland Defense Team, which includes police officers and firefighters, were called to the scene. Other Austin officers, the department's emergency ordinance disposal unit and officials from the FBI and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were also on the scene.

We are extremely disturbed that something like this could happen in our backyard.

More information from us when we find it out. . .

[Statesman article]

Contact the author of this article or email tips@austinist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Elizabeth S. in News on April 26, 2007 11:40 AM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

heyzeus

An arrest has already been made! Awesome.

jooley ann

GrapeApe, what you saw must have been either the cops using "a detonation device to open the container," or the controlled explosion used to destroy the bomb. Neither would be as large as the intended blast of the device, I'm pretty sure.

You can bandy semantics all you like, but to most people, an explosive device is a *bomb*, and using one to hurt people is called a *bombing*. In this brave new world of IEDs, homocide bombings, and various other forms murderous incendiary devices, I suppose we have more words to refer to all the ways we have of killing each other, but if you ask me, a bomb is a bomb is a bomb.

citizen Able

It qualifies as a bomb.

From the AP article:

A package left at a women's clinic that performs abortions contained an explosive device capable of inflicting serious injury or death, investigators said today.

"It was in fact an explosive device," said David Carter, assistant chief of the Austin Police Department. "It was configured in such a way to cause serious bodily injury or death."
Funny how non-fanatical-Muslim terrorism receives so little attention in the national media.

jeremy

Backyard indeed. This thing was found less than 100 feet from where I park my car. It was found exactly when I was coming home. I didn't even know the building next door to my apartment was a clinic, and I could have been potentially injured, or worse. Did the wingnut who placed it think about that?

michele

totally meant on wednesday...

michele

i am so glad that nothing horrible happened...

on tuesday i was on i-35 when all of a sudden the traffic stopped and all these police cars came blazing onto the scene. after having to wait 45 min before being directed off the highway, i just thought it was a catastophic accident.

Sudo

Oh, and I'm making a donation tonight to Planned Parenthood in honor of the clinic and it's workers who face this crap and still keep working.

Sudo

I'm betting this was an outsider who traveled here for just this reason. If you think about it, the two most famous abortions ever are from Austin, Roe v. Wade and George w.