Mystery surrounds the motivation behind the detonation of an apparent bomb in the streets of downtown Nashville that rocked Tennessee’s largest city on Christmas morning as investigators continued to comb the wreckage for clues.
Three people were slightly injured in the explosion, and some possible human remains were found near the site of the RV that exploded, causing severe damage to Nashville’s historic core. But it is not clear whether or how the remains are related to the incident.
What is certain is the bizarre nature of the attack.
Police responded to an early morning report of shots fired when they encountered the RV and shouted a recorded warning that a bomb would detonate in 15 minutes, Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake said. Police evacuated nearby buildings and called in the bomber. The camper exploded shortly afterwards.
Police believe the blast was intentional but don’t yet know a motive or target, and Drake noted that officials had not received any threats before the blast.
The chief said the on-site investigators “found tissue that we think may be remains, but we’ll have that examined and let you know at that point.” The police could not say whether it was possibly from someone in the RV.
Three people taken to regional hospitals for treatment were in stable condition Friday night, Nashville Mayor John Cooper said.
“This morning’s attack on our community was designed to create chaos and fear in this time of peace and hope. But Nashvillians have proven time and time again that the spirit of our city is unbreakable, ”Cooper said at a news conference after imposing a curfew for the area.
The explosion caused black smoke and flames to emerge from the heart of Nashville’s tourist hub, an area filled with honky-tonks, restaurants, and shops. Buildings shook and windows shattered streets away from the explosion near an AT&T building one block from the company’s office tower, a downtown landmark.
On Saturday morning, teams of experts were still collecting debris from much of the blast site. The damage to the AT&T building has led to speculation that it was the target of the attack.
“We don’t know if that was a coincidence or if that was the intention,” said police spokesman Don Aaron. He previously said some people were taken to the ward’s central unit for questioning, but declined to provide details.
AT&T said the affected building is the central office of a telephone exchange, with network equipment inside. The explosion interrupted service, but the company declined to say how widespread the outages were.
The AT&T outage site had service issues in central Tennessee and Kentucky. Several police agencies reported their 911 systems shut down due to the outage, including Knox County, home of Knoxville, about 180 miles east of Nashville.
AT&T said it brought in mobile locations and worked with law enforcement officials to gain access to make repairs to its equipment. The company noted that “power is essential for recovery”.
The Federal Aviation Administration has temporarily suspended flights from the Nashville airport due to telecommunications problems associated with the explosion.
The FBI will take the lead in the investigation, spokesman Joel Siskovic said. Federal detectives from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were also on the scene. The FBI is the primary law enforcement agency responsible for investigating federal crimes, such as explosives violations and terrorist attacks.