Terrified Austin residents have placed 150 calls to police about suspicious packages after three blasts rocked the city

Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via AP

• Residents of Austin, Texas placed 150 calls to police about suspicious packages after two bombs that were hand-delivered to local homes went off on Monday.
• Three bomb attacks have taken place in Austin this month, killing two people and injuring another two individuals.
• Police said the attacks were linked, and did not rule out that they may have been racially motivated.

In the wake of three bomb attacks in Austin, Texas this month that killed two people, police have received 150 calls from residents about suspicious packages since two blasts rocked the city on Monday, according to CNN.

Austin Police Chief Brian Manley had urged people to be cautious and avoid opening packages they weren't expecting on Monday.

"If you receive a package that you are not expecting or looks suspicious, DO NOT open it, call 911 immediately," Manley tweeted. He later echoed his plea for discretion at a press conference.

It looks like residents heeded Manley's advice, as Austin's police scanner was reportedly buzzing with calls from residents about such packages.

"I don't want to give the package to my daughter and something happens, and I would regret it for the rest of my life," he told local station KXAN.

The bombs that went off at three separate residences on Monday and earlier this month did not appear to be delivered by any mail service and were reportedly inside "average-sized delivery boxes, not exceptionally large," according to Manley. The boxes exploded upon being opened, killing a teenage boy on Monday and a 39-year-old man on March 2.

Investigators have also not ruled out that the attacks could have been racially motivated, as both people killed by the explosions were African-American, and the woman who was injured by the third attack was Hispanic, according to police.

"So we cannot rule out that hate crime is at the core of this; but we're not saying that that's the cause as well," Manley said at Monday's press conference.

The explosions took place during the popular South by Southwest conference and festival in the city, which is regularly attended by hundreds of thousands of people.