Mom: Austin bomber’s black roommate held until suspect found
PFLUGERVILLE, Texas — The mother of a man who lived with the suspected Austin bomber says her son was handcuffed, taken into custody by SWAT officers and held overnight before police found the suspect who blew himself up.
Jennifer Withers told The Associated Press late Thursday that her 26-year-old son, Collin Thomas, who is black, was walking from work Tuesday in Pflugerville, just north of Austin, to the house he and another man shared with serial bombing suspect Mark Conditt when a group of officers “flew at him.”
Withers said he was questioned about the bombings but none of his family was notified about where he was. After Conditt died, Thomas was eventually released.
Police earlier said they’d released Conditt’s other roommate but refused to name him. Austin police spokeswoman Anna Sabana said neither roommate has been charged.