Police say an explosion in downtown Nashville early Christmas morning that shattered storefronts and left at least three people hospitalized with noncritical injuries “appears to have been an intentional act.”
Authorities were called to the area around 6 a.m. local time to respond to a report of a suspicious vehicle outside the AT&T office building, the tallest skyscraper in the state, Metro Nashville Police Department spokesperson Don Aaron said in a morning news conference.
After checking out the vehicle, the officer who responded “had reason to call our hazardous devices unit,” Aaron said.
The blast went off around 6:30 a.m. local time, according to police, smashing windows, signs and garage doors along a block in the city’s Arts District and sending a plume of bright orange flames into the sky.
At least it was done at 6:30 AM Christmas morning when there aren't many people out rather than 9PM on Broadway when hundreds of people could have been hurt and many killed.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn.
The police were called on a call of shots fired. The responder(s) found an rv that had an audible message that it would blow up in 15 minutes. They called the bomb squad and evacuated the area and some later the RV exploded.
3 people went to the hosp. with ? (not critical injuries,) I think.
Briefer did say, one police officer suffered temporary loss of hearing from the incident but did not make it clear if that was one of the 3.
( The reporters did not ask the question I have, " was it a 911 call? or , was there evidence of actual shots? or did they make contact with who made that call?)
(Reporters also did not ask questions about the tone, words, or accents of what type of message was saying the RV would blow up in 15) ( Reporters also did not make it clear if Nashville police have body cameras or if they were on.)
Maybe it's a case of, ... but the reporters did not ask them.
Okay, here are some details I have from local and national media combined. This actually happened about 20 to 25 minutes from where I live.
First, indications are this was done by someone in no way affiliated with Islam. The reason this is the ongoing theory is because the RV had an audio tape playing for at least 15 minutes warning people to evacuate. It actually told people how long they had to evacuate before the RV would explode. Islamic terrorists in most every case wish to maximize the death toll, not reduce it. It seems as if this was intended to cause destruction, not deaths. The timing, early on Christmas morning also indicates whoever is responsible tried to keep the death count down. Had loss of life been the main focus it is believed it would have more likely have happened on Broadway on a Friday or Saturday night. That would be the most crowded area at the most crowded time.
The AT&T Building is the most likely target here. The RV was staged right outside the AT&T building. The effect it had by being located there was to knock out 911 service to many local cities, towns and surrounding counties. It also disrupted hospital services and wide spread phone and internet services. Effects were felt all over Tennessee, some parts of Kentucky and even northern areas in Georgia.
There are several reports by people that they heard several rounds of gunshots slightly earlier. Actually at two separate times. Yet there is no evidence that a shooting took place. It may have been a part of the warning coming from the RV. Nobody knows at this time. That's actually what the police were responding to when they arrived on the scene. Reports of shots being fired.
The six officers who responded immediately began going door to door to help evacuate people living near the RV and risked everything to do so.
They are.....
Officer Brenna Hosey, a 4-year veteran Officer James Luellen, a 3-year veteran Officer Michael Sipos, a 16-month veteran Officer Amanda Topping, a 21-month veteran Officer James Wells, also a 21-month veteran Sergeant Timothy Miller, who has been with the department for 11 years
Our entire community owes these officers a great debt of gratitude for their actions and bravery. Without their efforts it is a pretty sure bet the deaths and injuries would have been much higher.
There is one thing that I plan to keep an eye out for. They know they have found some tissue. They say it may or may not be human remains. To this point they are awaiting test results. I believe that is the most likely result. I mean, we see they have footage of the RV itself, but they have nothing that shows a suspect walking away from the RV. I feel if they did have such footage or photo they would release it in an effort to get help identifying the suspect. We'll just have to wait and see.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Sadly, with the year we've had I don't put anything beyond the realm of possibility. However, the fact that from all appearances it was the AT&T building that seemed to be the main focus of the attack a spurned lover would seem to be somewhat far fetched.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Nashville explosion: Investigators search Antioch address Saturday as hundreds of tips pour in
A person of interest has been identified in connection with the Christmas day explosion in Nashville, a law enforcement source confirmed Saturday. No arrests have been made.
Investigators with the FBI, ATF and the Metro Nashville Police Department converged to the 100 block of Bakertown Road in Antioch just before 11 a.m. Investigation in Antioch
Local and federal agents have been in-and-out of a duplex for “court authorized activity” following information from the investigation, according to Darrell DeBusk, an FBI public affairs officer.
DeBusk said no arrest has been made.
A team wearing tactical gear marked with both ATF and FBI insignias entered the residence and cleared the home around 2:30 p.m. The bomb squad confirmed no one was inside, according to FBI personnel at the scene. An evidence team entered the residence around that time to conduct a search.
Neighbors told The Tennessean an RV similar to the one in the explosion was parked at the home within the last two weeks.
There was no sign of a similar vehicle at the Antioch residence on Saturday.
Authorities declined to comment on the activity in Antioch during an afternoon update.
Stephen Stone, 61, lives on the street and said he recalled seeing the RV parked outside the home. Most of the homes on the street aside from his are rentals, he said.
"I am fairly confident we'll be able to identify an individual or ascertain what has occurred. We've just been taking some time," said Douglas Korneski, special agent in charge of the Memphis Field Office. 500 tips, no known threats
The FBI, leading the case, said more than 500 tips have been reported in the past 24 hours. The investigation continues, including working with its behavioral analysis unit in Quantico.
"Let me reiterate that Nashville is safe. We feel and know that we have no known threats at this time," Metro Police Chief John Drake said Saturday.
He urged the public to be patient as officials work to clear the crime scene as quickly as possible to allow residents and businesses to return.
Nashville was startled awake Christmas morning by the sound of a large explosion downtown that is still being investigated.
Several blocks surrounding the bombing site remained locked down Saturday morning as authorities continued to investigate the crime scene that left three people injured and the discovery of what may be human remains.
Fire Chief William Swann said the three people were treated for minor injuries and release almost released Friday.
Officials working around the clock were seen guarding the perimeter as detectives along with agents from the FBI and ATF try to determine what caused the blast out of a parked RV — which they've declared was an intentional act.
Police representatives said Saturday afternoon investigators are still trying to determine the source of the sound of gunshots reported by witnesses Friday morning before the explosion. MNPD spokesperson Don Aaron told The Tennessean it was unclear if the sound came from inside the RV, the recording it played or elsewhere.
MNPD spokesperson Kris Mumford did not expect the FBI, lead investigators on the case, to release immediate updates on the tissue found near the blast site that Drake said "could be" human remains.
AT&T deploys portable cell sites, reports overnight fire
An AT&T outage connected to the explosion continued to affect many customers and 911 operations Saturday. Outages occurred several hours after the blast as the company said building damage and access to power has been an issue.
AT&T said a fire reignited overnight inside the building, leading to an evacuation. Currently teams are on site working with safety and structural engineers drilling access holes into the building and attempting to reconnect power to critical equipment.
Nashville Fire Department Chief William Swann said restoring services could take days to complete.
He was hopeful the repairs could be made within the next two days.
"We're working closely with them to ensure we can get communication established back safely," he said at a Saturday afternoon news conference. "They're here to work 24 hours a day, it's a big operation with the building itself."
Most of the Metro Nashville Police Department’s administrators and officers use AT&T, and their phones went down Friday, according to Mumford
Mumford confirmed the department uses FirstNet, AT&T's proprietary network for public safety agencies and first responders.
The company has deployed two portable cell sites operating in downtown with many other portable sites deployed in the region.
Teams are also working "quickly as possible" on rerouting additional services to other facilities in the region.
The company sent national disaster recovery teams to the Nashville area Friday.
Users around the country reported disruptions in service, but there was a concentration in the Nashville area and around Middle Tennessee, growing in reach from Kentucky to Alabama as more reports came in.
Flights were temporarily halted out of Nashville International Airport on Friday afternoon because of communications issues stemming from the explosion. By evening, most flights had resumed but the potential for delays remained.
City portal, shelter set up for resources and assistance
Metro has set up a new hubNashville portal for those seeking assistance and resources.
Residents can submit requests for help, business support and also sign up for volunteer opportunities. There's also a link to submit any tips about the explosion to the FBI. People can also call 615-862-7400 with any information.
The city is also working with the American Red Cross to house and give resources to the dozens of residents displaced or affected by the explosion.
A reception center has been set up at East Park Community Center at 700 Woodland Street.
What happened downtown Christmas morning
Reports of shots fired were made to Nashville police at 5:30 a.m.
Nashville police and fire crews responded the area of Second Avenue and Commerce Street and saw no evidence of any shooting.
Instead, they noticed a suspicious RV parked outside an AT&T building before 6 a.m. Friday, according to police. Officers and witnesses heard a recording from the RV giving a dire warning: “Evacuate now. There is a bomb. A bomb is in this vehicle and will explode."
At least six Nashville police officers acted quickly to start evacuating people from nearby buildings after alerting the department's hazardous devices unit.
A 15-minute countdown began to broadcast with the looped message playing in between. After the countdown was over, the message began to play again until around 6:30 a.m., when police said a "significant explosion" happened as the bomb squad was en route.
Police and firefighters responded to the area about 6:45 a.m.
Metro police Chief John Drake said a motive in the explosion was not known, nor has a suspect or person of interest been named.
Drake said it was unclear if anyone was inside the RV when it exploded. He confirmed "tissue" that "could be" human remains was found in the area of the explosion. Authorities are investigating to determine if it is connected with the explosion.
The investigation has focused on an older model RV that police said was spotted in the area after 1 a.m. Friday, hours before the explosion.
Police released a surveillance photo of the vehicle and asked for the public's help.
The FBI is leading the investigation with help from the ATF and other federal, state and local agencies.
Several people were taken to the department's central precinct for questioning, but authorities declined to give more details Friday. Curfews in place around bombing site
All downtown Nashville roads, including interstates leading into the city, were shut down or rerouted early Friday.
Traffic around downtown is being rerouted away from the investigation perimeter. The downtown area will be "sealed off" for further investigation and to make sure everything is "completely safe," Cooper said.
He signed an order putting a curfew in place from until 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
The areas affected are bounded by James Robertson Parkway, Fourth Avenue North, Broadway and the Cumberland River.
Police identify person of interest in Nashville RV bombing
Police have identified a person of interest in connection to the Christmas Day RV explosion in Nashville.
Anthony Quinn Warner, a Nashville area resident, had a similar make and model RV as the one used in the blast, CBS News reported.
Law enforcement officers converged on a property in the town of Antioch, Tennessee, just outside Nashville, believed to be the 63-year-old’s home, early Saturday,
Images of the home captured on Google Maps in May 2019 show a similar motorhome parked in the yard, which is surrounded by a wooden fence.
At a press conference Saturday afternoon, officials said they could not confirm the identity tweeted earlier by CBS News reporter Jeff Pegues.
Officials pointed to over 500 leads submitted since the explosion that they are tracking down. Three people were injured in the blast that was set off by an explosive-packed RV that was parked on a downtown Nashville street around 6:30 a.m. Friday.
CBS also reported that the AT&T building damaged in the blast may have been the target of the attack. AT&T still had widespread outages in the region following the blast.
Police and federal agents have been combing the area damaged by the blast for clues.
Spurned lovers don't hit whatever correct target to knock out communication lines to the extent this apparently did.
You underestimate the irrational acts and overkill a jilted lover with underlying mental issues will resort to.
Last edited by Lyuokdea; 12/28/2007:13 AM.
"When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 19:33-34
No! no. I'll understand a spurned astronaut lady may drive across country in a diaper to stab somebody, but it was still 'personal" and the diaper thing was just something they do as astronauts, not some pre planed thing that would shut down the space program or something, it was "still personal".
but spurned lovers don't know where to park something that knocks out internet, airlines, and phone lines for 1/7th of the entire USA.
apparently.
(the next day, the local radio, here in ohio, was saying don't bother, we can't receive phone calls to the radio station to put on air, and they were blaming the Nashville bombing stuff.)
So, Spurned lovers, don't do whatever was done, to figure out, ... how to target wires and stuff.
Spurned lovers just irrationaly get mad at another person and lash out.
Can Deshaun Watson play better for the Browns, than Baker Mayfield would have? ... Now the Games count.
It sucks dude became a trash ass suicide bomber and now law enforcement has to piece together information cause he’s a coward, but atleast nobody got hurt and the police were able to get others out the area before it went off.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
Anthony Quinn Warner, self-employed computer guru ID'd as lone Nashville bomber, killed in blast
Federal authorities say a 63-year-old Antioch man was responsible for a Christmas morning bombing that left the suspect dead and captured the nation’s attention over the holiday weekend as officials worked to determine who parked an RV downtown to detonate.
What motivated him is still unknown.
Hundreds of federal, state and local law enforcement officers worked to solve the case, and just 60 hours after the explosion, agents Sunday evening named Anthony Quinn Warner as the bomber. He died in the blast.
“He was present when the bomb went off and he perished in the bombing,” said Don Cochran, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Through DNA evidence, authorities confirmed Warner’s remains were found at the scene, Cochran said.
“I cannot truly describe all the hard work that has gone into this investigation since Friday’s explosion," Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake said during Sunday’s announcement. "Nashville is considered safe."
Police earlier in the day released chilling details about the moments before the bomb detonated on Second Avenue about 6:30 a.m. on Friday, adding to an eerie portrait of a man in an RV who blared evacuation warnings before the explosion demolished a city block.
While acquaintances on Sunday described Tony Warner as a self-employed computer guru — and a homebody who tended to his pets and kept to himself — police officers on the scene before the bomb exploded recalled a strange recording emanating from the RV.
In between a digitized female voice giving warnings to evacuate the area, there was music, the officers said.
"Downtown," a wistful 1964 song by Petula Clark, echoed down Second Avenue just before the blast.
“When you're alone and life is making you lonely you can always go downtown,” blared Clark’s voice through the speakers. “When you've got worries, all the noise and the hurry seems to help, I know.”
Despite massive destruction to 41 buildings, no one else was killed in the explosion. Officers helped evacuate nearby residents from several apartments.
The RV was parked outside of an AT&T facility, though authorities have not said whether they believe the telecommunications company may have been a target.
The blast caused extensive damage to phone and internet coverage throughout the region, causing communication blackouts for 911 centers in surrounding counties, leaving customers throughout the state without service and exposing vulnerabilities in infrastructure.
Gov. Bill Lee on Saturday requested federal aid in effort to help businesses affected by the explosion. An evening curfew remained in place until Sunday, though access into downtown is still restricted.
Authorities are expected to continue their investigation downtown in the coming days. The type of explosives used in the blast remain unknown. Warner wasn’t on the radar of law enforcement before Friday’s explosion, they said, and officials have declined to deem the bombing an act of terrorism.
Doug Korneski, an FBI Special Agent in Charge, said Sunday investigators had “reviewed hours of security video surrounding the recreational vehicle” and determined no other suspects were involved in the bombing.
Tips from the public helped authorities initially identify Warner as a suspect. The Tennessee Highway Patrol discovered a vehicle part from the RV with a Vehicle Identification Number linking it to Warner.
Korenski requested people who knew Warner to contact police and share information while authorities investigate "any and all motives."
“None of those answers will ever be enough for those who have been affected by this event,” Korenski said. Who was Tony Warner?
Warner grew up in Antioch and attended Antioch High School, graduating in the mid-1970s before settling down in the same community and working various IT jobs.
in just the past month, Warner appeared to put his affairs in order. He transferred ownership of the home where he had lived for decades. He informed a regular business client he would no longer be working.
Property records show on the day before Thanksgiving, Warner transferred the title of his longtime Bakertown Road home to a Los Angeles woman. The transaction, a quitclaim deed that did not require the woman’s signature, was made for $0.
Steve Fridrich, who owns Fridrich & Clark Realty, said Warner was hired four or five years ago as a contractor to provide IT services for the business. Warner repaired the company’s computers and set up machines for new employees.
“In December he sent us an email saying he’d no longer be working for us,” Fridrich said.
Warner didn’t give a reason.
The company reached out to the FBI after learning through news coverage that Warner was a person of interest in the case. Agents visited the office Saturday evening, FBI spokesman Jason Pack confirmed.
Warner hadn’t had a run-in with authorities since 1978, when as a young adult he was charged with felony drug possession. He served two years of probation.
Yearbooks from Antioch High School show Warner, a short teenager with glasses, played on the school’s golf team.
Charlie Bozman, a longtime Metro high school coach, was in charge of Antioch’s golf coach in 1974 when Warner played.
“What I can remember about him was essentially three things: quiet, polite, and I don’t like to use the term, but quite frankly nerdish,” recalled Bozman. “He was a very reserved person. He wasn’t outgoing around me.
“I never had any discipline problems with him whatsoever, but that whole group was all great kids.”
Today, Warner does not have a public presence on social media or other websites. Neighbors say Warner had no obvious political ideology
Neighbors who have lived by Warner for decades say he rarely left home, instead spending much of his time working in his yard. He kept to himself, but would speak to his neighbors, engaging in small talk before going on his way.
Steve Schmoldt and his wife have lived next door to Warner for 25 years. He described Warner as “low-key” and friendly, though “some people would say he’s a little odd.”
“You never saw anyone come and go,” Schmoldt said of Warner’s home. “Never saw him go anywhere. As far as we knew, he was kind of a computer geek that worked at home.”
Warner had placed lights and security cameras outside his house.
He would do a lot of work in his yard, where a tall antenna is prominent on the side of the house, Schmoldt said. Warner built the fence around his yard himself.
The neighbors never talked about politics or religion. Warner never gave any indication of any closely held ideology.
“I can tell you as far as politics, he never had any yard signs or flags in his window or anything like that. If he did have any political beliefs he kept, that was something he kept to himself.
Schmoldt said while the RV had been parked outside the home for years, a couple weeks ago, Warner built a gate in the fence and drove the RV into his yard.
Daniel Douglas, who lived across the street from Warner for 26 years, said Warner told him he moved the RV because people were trying to break into it.
Warner received packages frequently, his neighbor said, and in the past year installed a mailbox. Previously, Warner used a post office box to receive his mail but then began receiving packages at home, Douglas said.
As news unfolded Friday morning, it wasn’t immediately obvious that Warner and his RV were nowhere to be found.
“To be honest, we didn’t really pay any attention it was gone until the FBI and ATF showed up,” Schmoldt said.
He and his wife watched the news Christmas morning as information began to unfold about the Second Avenue bombing. They saw the photos police released of the RV in question. That night, they noticed some cars driving up and down their street.
Then on Saturday they saw a large group of law enforcement outside Warner’s home.
“Holy cow, there’s a SWAT team out there,” Schmoldt recalled his wife saying as she looked out the front door mid-morning.
When Schmoldt learned that whoever was in the RV appeared to have tried to avoid casualties, his mind went to Warner’s devotion to his animals for so many years.
Warner had dogs over the years, first two small Shelties and then a larger dog he adopted, though the pets have since died. Schmoldt said Warner “took really good care of his dogs,” even building a wheelchair ramp for them when they got older so the animals didn’t have to use stairs to get inside the house.
“If it was him, he didn’t want anybody hurt,” Schmoldt said. “But if that’s the case, what other message is there? If indeed it was him, I just, I don’t know. They have to figure out some kind of motive.”
I thought there would be a political or religious connection to this... Then I heard about it warning people to evacuate. And the RV played the song downtown during the lead up to the explosion. My best guess is the guy was lonely or felt somehow less than others and wanted to go out in a way that he would be remembered.
If I were to venture a guess it has something to do with the conspiracy theory that 5G is somehow connected to Covid as to the final choice of the location of the bombing. I wouldn't say that is necessarily political in nature. His father did however work for AT&T at one time.
How the 5G coronavirus conspiracy theory went from fringe to mainstream
I'm not going to ask anyone to believe what I do along side me. I don't really buy anything about what's his name, the computer guy in Russia. Snowden that's who.
Look, given the state of 2020, just, I'm not saying it's so, I'm just saying I wouldn't be surprised,
I'm not saying it's so, I'm just saying I wouldn't be surprised if the whole name, and person and backstory weren't made up.
And I'm not saying anyone who reads this may not have been life long companions of anthony Quinn warner, but having never met the person personally,
I only have to go on the same vehicles of info that give me everything else this media does, and there's a lot of things I don't flippin believe, that the media trys to tell me to just buy it and shut up.
So I'm not saying it's so, just that I wouldn't be surprised if dude, and the neighbor, all of it were just made up out of thin air, I mean, rebuild public trust, no boogey man in the forest,
it's all just a weather balloon, there are not 8 foot tall gorillas inhabiting our forests that nobody can keep track of,
And the world is as round as the inside of a snow globe. (Just as soon as they track somebody going across Antarctica we'll have proof) (Still hasn't happened as of 2020, as far as I know)
Just like making up a back story about a professional wrestler, sure, (just like downgrading pluto as a planet, or a year before they did?, "As long as we're 100% all in agreement, nobody question reality")
Can Deshaun Watson play better for the Browns, than Baker Mayfield would have? ... Now the Games count.
Sounds like the guy was just done. For all we know he got bad medical news after working his whole life in relative obscurity. So he decided to go out with a bang and make locals remember him... kind of sick, I know, but that's the best I can come up with considering what we know so far.
But it could also be Hugo Chavez and the voting machines...
I think Chavez had a computer chip implanted somewhere, but anyway....
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — In the days before he detonated a bomb in downtown Nashville on Christmas, Anthony Quinn Warner changed his life in ways that suggest he never intended to survive the blast that killed him and wounded three other people.
Warner, 63, gave away his car, telling the recipient that he had cancer. A month before the bombing, he signed a document that transferred his longtime home in a Nashville suburb to a California woman for nothing in return. The computer consultant told an employer that he was retiring.
But he didn’t leave behind a clear digital footprint or any other obvious clues to explain why he set off the explosion in his parked recreational vehicle or played a message warning people to flee before it damaged dozens of buildings and knocked out cellphone service in the area. ADVERTISEMENT
While investigators tried to piece together a possible motive for the attack, a neighbor recalled a recent conversation with Warner that seemed ominous only in hindsight.
Rick Laude told The Associated Press on Monday that he saw Warner standing at his mailbox less than a week before Christmas and pulled over in his car to talk. After asking how Warner’s elderly mother was doing, Laude said he casually asked him, “Is Santa going to bring you anything good for Christmas?”
Warner smiled and said, “Oh, yeah, Nashville and the world is never going to forget me,” Laude recalled.
Laude said he didn’t think much of the remark and thought Warner only meant that “something good” was going to happen for him financially. He was speechless when he learned that authorities had identified Warner as the bomber.
“Nothing about this guy raised any red flags,” Laude said.
As investigators continued to search for a motive, body camera video released late Monday by Nashville police offered more insight into the moments leading up to the explosion and its aftermath.
The recording from Officer Michael Sipos’ camera captures officers walking past the RV parked across the street as the recorded warning blares and then helping people evacuate after the thunderous blast off camera. Car alarms and sirens wail as a police dispatch voice calls for all available personnel and people stumble through downtown streets littered with glass.
David Rausch, the director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, said authorities hope to establish a motive but sometimes simply cannot.
“The best way to find motive is to talk to the individual. We will not be able to do that in this case,” Rausch said Monday in an interview on NBC’s “Today” show. ADVERTISEMENT
Investigators are analyzing Warner’s belongings collected during the investigation, including a computer and a portable storage drive, and continue to interview witnesses as they try to identify a potential motive, a law enforcement official said. A review of his financial transactions also uncovered purchases of potential bomb-making components, the official said.
Warner had recently given away a vehicle and told the person he gave it to that he had been diagnosed with cancer, though it is unclear whether he indeed had cancer, the official said. Investigators used some items collected from the vehicle, including a hat and gloves, to match Warner’s DNA, and DNA was taken from one of his family members, the official said.
The official could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
Warner also apparently gave away his home in Antioch, Tennessee, to a Los Angeles woman a month before the bombing. A property record dated Nov. 25 indicates Warner transferred the home to the woman in exchange for no money. The woman’s signature is not on that document.
Warner had worked as a computer consultant for Nashville real estate agent Steve Fridrich, who told the AP in a text message that Warner had said he was retiring earlier this month.
Officials said Warner had not been on their radar before Christmas. A law enforcement report released Monday showed that Warner’s only arrest was for a 1978 marijuana-related charge.
“It does appear that the intent was more destruction than death, but again that’s all still speculation at this point as we continue in our investigation with all our partners,” Rausch said.
Officials have not provided insight into why Warner selected the particular location for the bombing, which damaged an AT&T building and wreaked havoc on cellphone service and police and hospital communications in several Southern states. By Monday, the company said the majority of services had been restored for residents and businesses.
Forensic analysts were reviewing evidence from the blast site to try to identify the components of the explosives as well as information from the U.S. Bomb Data Center for intelligence and investigative leads, according to a law enforcement official who said investigators were examining Warner’s digital footprint and financial history.
The official, who was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity, said federal agents were examining a number of potential leads and pursuing several theories, including the possibility that the AT&T building was targeted.
The bombing took place on a holiday morning well before downtown streets were bustling with activity. Police were responding to a report of shots fired Friday when they encountered the RV blaring a recorded warning that a bomb would detonate in 15 minutes. Then, for reasons that may never be known, the audio switched to a recording of Petula Clark’s 1964 hit “Downtown” shortly before the blast.
He could be guy, just tired of his life and wanting to make a statement when he decides it's his time to go. Looks like he wanted to be in control to the end.
Seems that some feared what Anthony Warner might be doing and it seems that the appropriate authorities were notified, but never acted. Click the link to read on, check out pictures or listen to the audio report.
Nashville man's girlfriend warned he was building bombs
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — More than a year before he detonated a bomb in downtown Nashville on Christmas Day, officers visited Anthony Warner’s home after his girlfriend told police that he was building bombs in an RV trailer at his residence, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. But they were unable to make contact with him, or see inside his RV.
Officers were called to Pamela Perry’s home in Nashville on Aug. 21, 2019 after getting a report from her attorney that she was making suicidal threats while sitting on her front porch with firearms, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said Tuesday in an emailed statement. A police report said Raymond Throckmorton, the attorney, told officers that day he also represented Warner.
When officers arrived at Perry’s home, police said she had two unloaded pistols sitting next to her on the porch. She told them those guns belonged to “Tony Warner,” police said, and she did not want them in the house any longer. Perry, then 62, was then transported for a psychological evaluation after speaking to mental health professionals on the phone.
Throckmorton told The Tennessean Perry had fears about her safety, and thought Warner may harm her. The attorney was also at the scene that day, and told officers Warner “frequently talks about the military and bomb making,” the police report said. Warner “knows what he is doing and is capable of making a bomb,” Throckmorton said to responding officers.
Police then went to Warner’s home, located about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) from Perry's home, but he didn’t answer the door when they knocked several times. They saw the RV in the backyard, the report said, but the yard was fenced off and officers couldn’t see inside the vehicle.
The report said there also were “several security cameras and wires attached to an alarm sign on the front door” of the home. Officers then notified supervisors and detectives.
“They saw no evidence of a crime and had no authority to enter his home or fenced property,” the police statement said.
After officers visited Warner's home last August, the police department’s hazardous devices unit was given a copy of the police report. During the week of August 26, 2019, they contacted Throckmorton. Police said officers recalled Throckmorton saying Warner “did not care for the police,” and that he wouldn’t allow Warner “to permit a visual inspection of the RV.”
Throckmorton disputes that he told police they couldn’t search the vehicle. “I have no memory of that whatsoever,” he told The Tennessean. “I didn’t represent him anymore. He wasn’t an active client. I’m not a criminal defense attorney.”
Throckmorton told the newspaper he represented Warner in a civil case several years ago, and that Warner was no longer his client in August 2019. “Somebody, somewhere dropped the ball,” he said.
A day after officers visited Warner's home, the police report and identifying information about Warner were sent to the FBI to check their databases and determine whether Warner had prior military connections, police said.
Later that day, the police department said “the FBI reported back that they checked their holdings and found no records on Warner at all.” FBI spokesperson Darrell DeBusk told The Tennessean the agency had conducted a standard agency-to-agency record check.
Six days later, “the FBI reported that Department of Defense checks on Warner were all negative," the police department said.
Warner’s only arrest was for a marijuana-related charge in 1978
No other information about Warner came to the department or the FBI’s attention after August 2019, police said. “At no time was there any evidence of a crime detected and no additional action was taken,” the statement said. “The ATF also had no information on him."
Warner’s only arrest was for a 1978 marijuana-related charge.
The bombing happened on Christmas morning, well before downtown streets were bustling with activity. Police were responding to a report of shots fired Friday when they encountered the RV blaring a recorded warning that a bomb would detonate in 15 minutes. Then, for reasons that may never be known, the audio switched to a recording of Petula Clark’s 1964 hit “Downtown” shortly before the blast. Dozens of buildings were damaged and several people were injured.
Investigators have not uncovered a motive for the Christmas day bombing nor was it revealed why Warner had selected the particular location, which damaged an AT&T building and has continued to wreak havoc on cellphone, police and hospital communications in several Southern states as the company worked to restore service.
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