US President Donald Trump yesterday denounced a series of package bombings in Texas, calling those behind them “very, very sick”, following an explosion at a FedEx facility that officials said appears to be linked to four others.

Until now, the spate of blasts that began early this month had been contained to Austin, the state capital with a population of nearly one million, where two people were killed and several more injured.

But just after midnight, a package exploded at a FedEx distribution facility in Schertz, outside San Antonio.

Authorities would not confirm media reports that the package contained metal shrapnel and nails.

There were no serious injuries in the latest blast, but officials believe the attacks are related.

“It was mailed from Austin, it was to an Austin resident, and it blew up on the conveyor belt,” state Attorney-General Ken Paxton told KXAN television.

US congressman Michael McCaul, the head of the House Homeland Security Committee who said he has spoken to law enforcement, added: “All these devices are very similar.”

There were conflicting reports from law enforcement about a second package, but FedEx claimed it has discovered one sent by “the individual responsible” for the initial explosion – a potential break in the case as investigators tried to identify the perpetrator or a motive.

“We have provided the law enforcement responsible for this investigation with extensive evidence related to these packages and the individual that shipped them, collected from our advanced technology security systems,” said FedEx in a statement.

Another FedEx facility near the Austin airport was evacuated as police responded to reports of a suspicious package there.

But, police could not say whether there is a link to the serial bombings, and continued to process the scene late in the afternoon.

“The bombings in Austin are terrible. Local, state and federal law enforcement are working hand in hand to get to the bottom of it,” said Trump, in his first public response since the crime wave began.

“This is obviously a very, very sick individual or maybe individuals. These are sick people, and we will get to the bottom of it.” – AFP, March 21, 2018.