CarBomb Explodes in Downtown Nashville TN

[LadyTevar]

Tennessean news

Massive downtown Nashville explosion: Dire warning came from RV
Nashville authorities believe an explosion that occurred in downtown Nashville early Christmas morning was an "intentional act" and sparked by a vehicle blast.

Police came across a suspicious RV parked outside a nearby AT&T building near Second Avenue and Commerce Street before 6 a.m., when initially responding to calls of shots fired in the area, said Metro police spokesperson Don Aaron.

There was no immediate evidence of any shooting but officers alerted the department's bomb squad, which was en route when a "significant explosion" happened about 30 minutes later, Aaron said.

Just before the blast, officers were conducting door-to-door checks in the area and redirected a man walking his dog along the street. The force of the explosion knocked an officer to the ground. Three people were hospitalized with injuries, police said.

Aaron said it was unclear if anyone was inside the RV when it exploded.

Betsy Williams, the owner of the Melting Pot building across the street, told The Tennessean that guests reported the RV was stationed there since Thursday night.

Williams, who lives in a loft apartment on the third floor, said she heard the sound of loud, rapid-fire gunshots at about 4:30 a.m.

After multiple rounds of gunshot sounds, Williams said she called 911.

Then, she said, she heard a repeated warning she said came from the RV parked outside her building.

“Evacuate now. There is a bomb. A bomb is in this vehicle and will explode,” she remembers the recorded warning saying.

Then, she said, the voice started a 15-minute countdown.

Williams said she, her spouse and family left the lofts in their pajamas. She took her cat Mavis but left her valuables behind.

They headed to Nissan Stadium and waited. When they didn’t hear an explosion, they headed back. They were at Second Avenue and Broadway when they saw a fireball fly over the AT&T building on Second Avenue.

“Whoever did it did give fair warning,” Williams said.

She saw the windows in her loft had been blown out. Her Christmas tree was still on inside.

Aaron confirmed investigators believe the recording heard by witnesses originated from the vehicle.

Several people were taken to the department's central precinct for questioning but authorities declined to give more details Friday morning.

The downtown area was sealed off with an active investigation underway led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the help of Nashville, state and federal agencies.

Though authorities said there are no indications of additional devices, police were going door-to-door with canines in the downtown area to search nearby buildings.

President Donald Trump has been briefed and will continue to get regular updates, according to White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere.

“The President is grateful for the incredible first responders and praying for those who were injured," Deere said in a statement.

The sound of the explosion Friday morning could be heard miles away, as people reported windows shaking from South and East Nashville.


Massive downtown Nashville explosion: Dire warning came from RV
Yihyun Jeong
Brinley Hineman
Nashville Tennessean

Nashville authorities believe an explosion that occurred in downtown Nashville early Christmas morning was an "intentional act" and sparked by a vehicle blast.

Police came across a suspicious RV parked outside a nearby AT&T building near Second Avenue and Commerce Street before 6 a.m., when initially responding to calls of shots fired in the area, said Metro police spokesperson Don Aaron.

There was no immediate evidence of any shooting but officers alerted the department's bomb squad, which was en route when a "significant explosion" happened about 30 minutes later, Aaron said.

Just before the blast, officers were conducting door-to-door checks in the area and redirected a man walking his dog along the street. The force of the explosion knocked an officer to the ground. Three people were hospitalized with injuries, police said.

Aaron said it was unclear if anyone was inside the RV when it exploded


Betsy Williams, the owner of the Melting Pot building across the street, told The Tennessean that guests reported the RV was stationed there since Thursday night.

Williams, who lives in a loft apartment on the third floor, said she heard the sound of loud, rapid-fire gunshots at about 4:30 a.m.

After multiple rounds of gunshot sounds, Williams said she called 911.

Then, she said, she heard a repeated warning she said came from the RV parked outside her building.


“Evacuate now. There is a bomb. A bomb is in this vehicle and will explode,” she remembers the recorded warning saying.

Then, she said, the voice started a 15-minute countdown.

Williams said she, her spouse and family left the lofts in their pajamas. She took her cat Mavis but left her valuables behind.

They headed to Nissan Stadium and waited. When they didn’t hear an explosion, they headed back. They were at Second Avenue and Broadway when they saw a fireball fly over the AT&T building on Second Avenue.

“Whoever did it did give fair warning,” Williams said.

She saw the windows in her loft had been blown out. Her Christmas tree was still on inside.


Aaron confirmed investigators believe the recording heard by witnesses originated from the vehicle.

Several people were taken to the department's central precinct for questioning but authorities declined to give more details Friday morning.

The downtown area was sealed off with an active investigation underway led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the help of Nashville, state and federal agencies.

Though authorities said there are no indications of additional devices, police were going door-to-door with canines in the downtown area to search nearby buildings.

The sound of the explosion Friday morning could be heard miles away, as people reported windows shaking from South and East Nashville.

Plumes of black smoke filled the air with several fires seen along what is typically a busy street that intersects with Nashville's famed tourist attraction, Lower Broadway. Alarms inside several buildings were heard going off with water pouring into some buildings with structural damage and broken windows.

Trees lining Second Avenue were blackened from the incident.

Gov. Bill Lee in a statement said the state will provide needed resources to determine what happened and who was responsible.

Mayor John Cooper said he toured the damage, describing broken glass and water mains with insulation "blown up" into the trees. He estimated about 20 buildings had been impacted.

"It looks like a bomb went off," he said. He said it was too soon for any conclusions but said updates will be given throughout the morning.

The downtown area will be "sealed off" for further investigation and to make sure everything is "completely safe," according to Cooper.

"One more event in Nashville's 2020," he said.

Andrew Carr, who is staying at the Viridian apartments on Fourth Avenue and Church Street, told The Tennessean he jumped out of bed when he heard what sounded like a "giant thunderclap."

He looked out the window and said he saw a "huge fireball" rising up behind an AT&T building on Second Avenue and Commerce Street — describing it almost as "wide as the building itself."

Carr said for the next hour he and his family watched the black smoke plumes rise into the sky and could later see debris on top of the AT&T building.

Residents in the apartment building, he said, have been put in lockdown.

The owner of the nearby Nashville Downtown Hostel told The Tennessean guests were evacuated to Nissan Stadium for shelter. He said he got a call early Friday from his staff reporting hearing a "loud boom" and the fire alarm going off.

He said the hostel is damaged but did not go into details.

President Donald Trump has been briefed and will continue to get regular updates, according to White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere.

“The President is grateful for the incredible first responders and praying for those who were injured," Deere said in a statement.

[Mr Bean]

As pointed out on reddit this is an IRA style bombing. The point being to do damage and to let people know you can do more damage, not hurt people. Not saying this was the IRA but that during the Troubles this was a popular method of making minor bombings into bigger stories by announcing them ahead of time and pulling them off anyway.

Twitter video with the announcement by speakers in the RV which then exploded.

[Broomstick]

Yeah, but... who is doing IRA style bombings these days? And Nashville?

I totally get frustration with AT&T, but a bombing?

[Mr Bean]

Yeah, but... who is doing IRA style bombings these days? And Nashville?

I totally get frustration with AT&T, but a bombing?

I wonder if we scour the depths of the internet if the local AT&T building is involved in someones fevered conspiracy theories on a tiny message board in the corner of q-anon circles. The internet being what it is, it's quite possible to dive head first into a reality that bears little relationship with the one the rest of us live in.

[Raw Shark]

I wonder if we scour the depths of the internet if the local AT&T building is involved in someones fevered conspiracy theories on a tiny message board in the corner of q-anon circles. The internet being what it is, it's quite possible to dive head first into a reality that bears little relationship with the one the rest of us live in.

That was my first thought. Either that or Trump Loyalists / Both. They did shoot up a pizza joint, after all.

[Rogue 9]

It was a suicide attack. NPR

Nashville Blast Suspect Died In Explosion, Officials Say

December 27, 20202:58 PM ET
Heard on All Things Considered
Matthew S. Schwartz

Updated at 5:31 p.m. ET

The violent explosion that rocked downtown Nashville, Tenn., on Christmas morning is believed to be a suicide bombing by Anthony Q. Warner, 63, U.S. Attorney Don Cochran said Sunday.

Authorities continue to ask those who knew or encountered the suspect to contact the FBI. The agency is still investigating, but there is no indication that anyone else was involved, Cochran said.

Officials said DNA testing of human remains on the scene matched to Warner. They said no other threats were known against the city but wouldn't comment on possible motives for the bombing.

According to NPR member station WPLN, Warner had owned a home in the suburban Nashville community of Antioch that was searched on Saturday by federal officials.

The investigation into the bombing has brought hundreds of law enforcement personnel — including agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — into the Tennessee capital to comb through the wreckage and investigate more than 500 leads.

The Friday morning blast came from an RV parked outside an AT&T building. No fatalities were reported, but three people were hospitalized for their injuries and dozens of buildings were damaged.

The effects of the blast were still being felt more than 48 hours later. Some police and hospital communications systems are still out in some areas of Tennessee, as well as in neighboring states.

City officials on Sunday credited the city's police officers for their quick work to evacuate the area, averting potential tragedy.

"Their actions saved lives," Mayor John Cooper said. "They may consider what they did was just a regular part of their duties. But we in Nashville know it was extraordinary."

Speaking to reporters Sunday morning, police described the scene they encountered upon responding to a 911 call shortly before the bomb went off that reported shots fired in the area. Soon after officers arrived, a recorded female voice started sounding from the RV, warning it was going to explode. A countdown began.

"At that moment, it felt real," said Officer James Wells, who has been with the force for less than two years. Wells said he noticed cameras attached to the RV.

"It felt like whoever was behind it was watching," he recalled. Wells said he looked around to make sure no one was secretly watching them. Mentally, he started preparing for a possible shootout.

"All of the cop lingo that you hear about — the spider senses, about the hair standing up on the back of your neck — all that went through my body," said Wells.

At one point, the RV started playing a recording of the song "Downtown" by Petula Clark. Then it switched back to the countdown, then back to the music. Some of the officers returned to their cars, blocking roads to set up a perimeter. A police sergeant ordered an evacuation, and officers started knocking on doors to get people out.

After knocking on doors, Wells said he went back to his car and pulled it back farther to get out of blast radius. He then got out of his car and started walking toward the RV. Suddenly, Wells said, he heard the voice of God telling him to turn around and check on Officer Amanda Topping, who was by herself on Broadway Street.

"It felt like I only took three steps," Wells said.

Suddenly, the music stopped.

"I just see orange," Wells recalled. "And then I hear a loud boom. And as I'm stumbling — 'cuz it rocked me that hard — I start stumbling, I just tell myself to stay on your feet, stay alive."

Topping was walking toward Wells when the explosion pierced the calm.

"I just saw the biggest flames I've ever seen," Topping recalled. "I'll never forget the windows shattering after the blast all around me."

"I felt a push," said Officer Michael Sipos. "I was thrown into the trunk, a little bit. I turned around to see a very orange sky and a lot of smoke." Officer Brenna Hosey said she was knocked to the ground.

Topping felt a wave of heat, she said, motioning to her face. She couldn't see Wells, who was close to the blast. She took off in a sprint, eventually finding Wells, who told her to take out her gun. The two of them grabbed each other and ducked into a doorway to prepare for whatever might happen next.

"It just felt like something out of a movie," Wells recalled. Another officer was yelling at him, asking him to do something — but he had temporary hearing loss from the blast. An ambulance wanted to take him to the hospital, but when Wells learned that three people were injured, he told the paramedics to check on the civilians first.

Wells, who said he's a spiritual person, credited his survival to the voice in his head that told him to walk in the opposite direction.

"That's what saved my life," Wells said. "That's what got me to see my kids and my wife on Christmas. 'Good to see you' has a completely different meaning to me now."

Wells said the experience will tie him to his fellow officers for the rest of their lives. After the news conference was over, Wells and Hosey embraced. For several seconds, they stood in silence, simply holding each other.

[Zaune]

This is starting to sound less like a terrorist attack and more like some bizarre and absurdly destructive practical joke, as if this Warner guy was tired of life and decided to go out in a way that would confuse the fuck out everyone just for the hell of it... And possibly get back at AT&T over some particularly bad experience with their support team, since according to Forbes he worked in tech support. (Source.)

[LadyTevar]

This is starting to sound less like a terrorist attack and more like some bizarre and absurdly destructive practical joke, as if this Warner guy was tired of life and decided to go out in a way that would confuse the fuck out everyone just for the hell of it... And possibly get back at AT&T over some particularly bad experience with their support team, since according to Forbes he worked in tech support. (Source.)

There were rumors he was a 5G nutso, I don't know what came of that. However, if he was, then blowing up the AT&T building makes sense, as it was a hub for 5G networks, especially emergency networks for various police forces across the region.

[Zaune]

I've heard enough stories about US telcos to suspect that one doesn't need to be a member of the tinfoil hat brigade to have a burning hatred of them, but good point.

[Broomstick]

This also starts to sound like another middle-aged white male goes nutso.

[Gandalf]

This is starting to sound less like a terrorist attack and more like some bizarre and absurdly destructive practical joke, as if this Warner guy was tired of life and decided to go out in a way that would confuse the fuck out everyone just for the hell of it... And possibly get back at AT&T over some particularly bad experience with their support team, since according to Forbes he worked in tech support. (Source.)

So, a suicide bombing?

[Zaune]

So, a suicide bombing?

Well, yeah. But not automatically a terrorist attack, at least if one defines terrorism as ideologically-motivated violence. If Warner wasn't some kind of conspiracy theory nut and didn't have any strong political views, and if that Forbes article I linked to earlier is correct he appears to have never bothered to cast a vote in his entire life, the only possible motives we're left with are a personal vendetta of some description or that he just wanted to fuck with people's heads.

[Gandalf]

So, a suicide bombing?

Well, yeah. But not automatically a terrorist attack, at least if one defines terrorism as ideologically-motivated violence. If Warner wasn't some kind of conspiracy theory nut and didn't have any strong political views, and if that Forbes article I linked to earlier is correct he appears to have never bothered to cast a vote in his entire life, the only possible motives we're left with are a personal vendetta of some description or that he just wanted to fuck with people's heads.

It need not be particularly terroristic to be a suicide bombing.

[Rogue 9]

I've heard enough stories about US telcos to suspect that one doesn't need to be a member of the tinfoil hat brigade to have a burning hatred of them, but good point.

According to family legend, back during a strike against Ma Bell in the late 50s my maternal grandfather bombed the gate of Bell South's headquarters, and my uncle took the fall and spent the next few decades out of state because grandpa had kids. But they didn't commit suicide over it.

Then Nixon happened, and those staunch union men became Republicans. But that's another story.

[The_Saint]

So, a suicide bombing?

Well, yeah. But not automatically a terrorist attack, at least if one defines terrorism as ideologically-motivated violence. If Warner wasn't some kind of conspiracy theory nut and didn't have any strong political views, and if that Forbes article I linked to earlier is correct he appears to have never bothered to cast a vote in his entire life, the only possible motives we're left with are a personal vendetta of some description or that he just wanted to fuck with people's heads.

It need not be particularly terroristic to be a suicide bombing.

Suicide bombing comes with terroristic overtones. This is more aptly suicide by bombing.

[Soontir C'boath]

TL;DR

Police: Sir, are you making bombs in there?
Warner: No, go away.
Police: Understandable, have a nice day.

If Warner was Muslim, you better fucking believe they'd smash the door down and riddle him with bullets.

Feds probing if Nashville bomber believed in lizard people conspiracy

Investigators are aware of statements the suspect made about a conspiracy theory that powerful politicians and Hollywood figures are actually lizards who have extraterrestrial origins.

By Tom Winter and Wilson Wong

Investigators are exploring several conspiracy theories as potential motives behind the Christmas Day bombing of an AT&T building in Nashville, including evidence that the bomber believed in lizard people and a so-called reptilian conspiracy, two senior law enforcement officials told NBC News Wednesday.

Investigators are expected to conclude their crime scene work this week, but it could take several more weeks until they key in on the motive of Anthony Quinn Warner, who died in the bombing.

Authorities have been probing Warner’s digital devices – which one official says comprises a significant trove of pictures, videos, and writings – since Saturday looking for any clues on what drove the man to set off a powerful bomb inside his recreational vehicle that took down communications networks and injured several people in downtown Nashville.

Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics

Specifically, investigators are looking into the suspect’s previous trips to an undisclosed location in Tennessee where he would camp out in his RV and according to the suspect’s statements to others, hunt possible aliens, the officials said.

In addition, investigators are aware of statements the suspect made about an internet conspiracy that powerful politicians and Hollywood figures are actually lizards or other reptiles who have extraterrestrial origins and are taking over society, the officials said.

Believers in the unfounded conspiracy theory believe that politicians, including the Clintons and now deceased comedian Bob Hope, were actually lizard-like creatures sent to earth and are responsible for a number of historic tragedies. Justin Bieber and the Obamas have also been named in the conspiracy theory.

Federal investigators have also asked associates and acquaintances of Warner whether or not he believed in equally unfounded conspiracy theories about AT&T and 5G mobile service and whether that was a motivation for choosing the AT&T building as the site of the bombing.

A senior law enforcement official said investigators have cast a wide net that reaches out to family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances and businesses where he may have purchased bomb making supplies.

A few people were difficult to track down because of the Christmas holiday, the official said.

More than a year before the bombing, Warner's girlfriend warned police he was building bombs in a recreational vehicle parked at his home, according to police reports.

On Aug. 21, 2019, a lawyer for Warner's girlfriend told officers that Warner “frequently talks about the military and bomb making,” according to an incident report released by the Metro Nashville Police Department.

The attorney’s call prompted officers to visit Warner’s house, where they knocked on the front door to no avail, according to the report. Officers wrote that they spotted “several security cameras and wires attached to an alarm at the front door,” the report said.

Officers said they spotted an R.V. parked behind a fence in the backyard, but said they could not see inside the vehicle. Authorities identified an R.V. linked to Warner as the source of the Christmas Day explosion.

Police said on Wednesday the officers saw no evidence of a crime and had no authority to enter the property or the fenced-in backyard. They also determined the girlfriend was in need of “psychological evaluation” and she was taken to a hospital, according to police.

The day after officers visited Warner’s house, an incident report was forwarded to the FBI by the police, which said they requested the agency and the Department of Defense to run a records search on Warner. Police said a search from both databases found no results.

The Metro Nashville Police Department did not say it requested the FBI to open an investigation into Warner, but said its Hazardous Devices Unit followed up on the incident report with the attorney. According to police, the attorney told the department that Warner “did not care for the police” and that he would not allow a visual inspection of the R.V.

David Rausch, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, told reporters this week that Warner was not on the agency's radar before the bombing, except for one arrest for marijuana possession in 1978.

A spokesperson for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation told NBC News Wednesday they were previously unaware of the incident involving the Metro Nashville Police Department and Warner’s girlfriend.

The spokesperson said in a statement: “To be clear, the remarks our Director made about him ‘not being on our radar’ were specific to our agency and not all of law enforcement.”

Unlike other cases, such as with the Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev or the Orlando Pulse Nightclub shooter Omar Mateen, the FBI said it was only asked to run a database search on Warner and were not asked to open an investigation.

The Metro Nashville Police department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Warner, 63, who was described as a “loner” by people who knew him, had recently retired as an information technology consultant, NBC News reported Monday.

Officers were responding to reports of gunfire in the area on Christmas morning when instead they heard a warning of an explosion coming from an R.V. parked outside an AT&T building. Authorities said the blast, which authorities believe was set off by Warner, went off at 6:30 a.m. last Friday, rippling across several blocks in downtown Nashville.

The explosion injured at least three people and damaged more than 40 nearby businesses. Warner was the only person killed in the blast.

[Solauren]

So, the bomber was a conspiracy theory nut, that liked to hunt aliens?

[LadyTevar]

They were warned OVER A YEAR AGO... but did nothing to follow up.

If there'd been a lost of life, we'd be all over that with torches and pitchforks. They Got Lucky.

[Broomstick]

Yeah, well, middle-aged white guy isn't suspicious even when his girlfriend says he's building a bomb, right?

There's some white privilege for you right there. You know that if he was any sort of a minority there would have been a lot more scrutiny.

[LadyTevar]

Yeah, well, middle-aged white guy isn't suspicious even when his girlfriend says he's building a bomb, right?

There's some white privilege for you right there. You know that if he was any sort of a minority there would have been a lot more scrutiny.

Plus, the girlfriend was being evaluated herself for mental problems. That also had something to do with it, I'm sure.