DOWNTOWN NASHVILLE, TN — Police and federal law enforcement are investigating what seems to be an intentional explosion that happened on Christmas morning in Nashville, TN.
At 5:30 a.m. Christmas morning, police were called about gunshots in the downtown Nashville area. By 6:45, responders were on the scene and found and identified an RV parked outside of an AT&T communications building. The RV played a message saying that a bomb would detonate in fifteen minutes and began a countdown.
“As the officers responded, they encountered an RV that had a recording saying that a potential bomb would detonate within fifteen minutes”
John Drake, Nashville Police Chief
After discovering the RV, a bomb-squad was put en route to disable the potential explosive. Before detonation, the RV could be heard on video saying “If you can hear this message, evacuate now”. Seconds later, the blast occurred damaging houses and over forty businesses.
Police and bomb-sniffing dogs have canvassed the area and haven’t located any other possible explosives in the vicinity. After the explosion, the FBI took the lead on the case. They have identified human tissue close to the site of detonation and have launched a website where citizens can submit tips.
“We’re putting everything we have into finding [out] who was responsible for what’s happened here today”.
Matt Foster, Assistant Special Agent, FBI
While the investigation is still underway, officials have set a curfew for the surrounding area and rerouted traffic.
The motivation for the attack is still unknown, the RV was parked beside and heavily damaged an AT&T transmission building, which impacted 9-1-1 communications. It is speculated that the attack may have been targeting first responders because of the messages played warning people to evacuate the area.
Video footage from blocks away captured the blast and smoke rising from one citizen’s home.
According the The Associated Press, "Around the same time, investigators from multiple federal and local law enforcement agencies were at a home in Antioch, in suburban Nashville, after receiving information relevant to the investigation, said FBI Special Agent Jason Pack. Another law enforcement official, who was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said investigators regard a person associated with the property as a person of interest.
Federal agents could be seen looking around the property, searching the home and the backyard. A Google Maps image had shown a similar recreational vehicle parked in the backyard when the photo was captured in May 2019; an AP reporter at the scene did not see the vehicle at the property in the late afternoon Saturday."
UPDATE: 12/27/20
It appears that the human remains found on site belonged to the suspect. According to FBI updates, DNA reveals that the tissue and remains found belonged to Anthony Warner a 63-year-old Antioch (suburb of Nashville) resident. According to some Warner was a 5G conspiracist, which could explain why he parked the explosives-rigged RV outside of an AT&T building. It also appears that Warner signed his home over to a loved one, Michelle Swing a Los Angelos resident, without her knowledge last month.
Comentarios