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Authorities: Vehicle was broadcasting warning message prior to downtown Nashville explosion


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https://wreg.com/news/massive-police-fire-response-after-explosion-in-nashville/

 

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Federal Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation into what authorities believe was an intentional explosion early Christmas morning in downtown Nashville which sent three people to the hospital.

During a news update at noon Friday, authorities said they do not believe there is cause for concern for residents of the downtown area. Local, state and federal authorities have been sweeping the area of Second and Commerce Street for several hours as a precuation and evaluating the damage left behind from the blast, they said.

They are also searching for other individuals who may have been injured in the explosion.

According to reporting by WTVF, the vehicle was outside 166 Second Avenue North, the location of an AT&T data center. The explosion created an outage for AT&T, affecting phone and internet service acorss the area, including several 911 lines.

According to police, it all began just before 6 a.m. Friday when officers received a call regarding shots being fired. They did not find any evidence of a shooting, but said they did come across a RV which was broadcasting a message warning of a potential bomb that would detonate within 15 minutes.

Officers called in the bomb squad and were going door-to-door evacuating those nearby when an explosion ripped through the area at 6:30 a.m. At least one officer was knocked to the ground and three people total were taken to nearby hospitals with non-life threatening injuries.

It’s unclear if anyone was inside the RV at the time of the explosion, authorities said.

Counselors have been called in to evaluate the officers that were on the scene to make sure they are okay. Authorities commended those officers, saying lives were saved because of their quick response to the danger.

Authorities said the crime scene is massive, reaching several city blocks. The ATF, THP and local authorities are all working with the FBI to quickly determine who was responsible and why this incident occurred. The TBI said they have agents and an accelerant detection K9 helping in the investigation.

The FBI has set up a tip website, which can be found here.

  • Fire-Department-3.jpg?w=540
    Courtesy of Nashville Fire Department
  • Fire-Department-4.jpg?w=540
    Courtesy of Nashville Fire Department
  • Fire-department-1.jpg?w=540
    Courtesy of Nashville Fire Department

President Donald Trump was briefed on the situation early Friday morning and will continued to be as the investigation continues, White House Press Secretary Judd Deere said in a released statement.

“The President is grateful for the incredible first responders and praying for those who were injured,” he said.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said the state will supply the resources needed to investigate the explosion and find the person responsible. He called for prayers for those injured and gave thanks to the first responders.

Tennessee Rep. Antonio Parkinson also realsed the following statement:

“Please keep the city of Nashville in prayer,” he said. “Pray for our first responders and those affected by this morning’s intentional act of violence. We will not be detered by the sick, repulsive and selfish acts of terrorists whether internal or external. I pray that this administration does something other than to encourage this violent behavior. I pray even more that the next adminstration strikes with force to eliminate those that would try to intmindate the American people thought the use of such actions.”

 

 

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https://www.wate.com/news/top-stories/ap-sources-human-remains-found-near-nashville-explosion/

 

 

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AP sources: Human remains found near Nashville explosion

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Two law enforcement officials tell The Associated Press that authorities have found human remains in the vicinity of the explosion that rocked downtown Nashville early Christmas morning.

 

It is unclear how the remains are related to the Friday explosion or whether they might belong to the person believed to be responsible or a victim.

The officials could not discuss an ongoing investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

Authorities have said they believe the blast was intentional.

The city’s police chief said officers responded to a report of a shots fired before discovering the RV that was blaring a recorded warning that a bomb would detonate in 15 minutes. Police evacuated nearby buildings and called in the bomb squad. The RV exploded shortly afterward.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A recreational vehicle parked in the deserted streets of downtown Nashville exploded early Christmas morning, causing widespread communications outages that took down police emergency systems and grounded holiday travel at the city’s airport. Authorities said they believe the blast was intentional.

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, Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake said. Police evacuated nearby buildings and called in the bomb squad. The RV exploded shortly afterward, Drake said at a midday news conference.

“It looks like a bomb went off on Second Avenue,” Nashville Mayor John Cooper said after touring the area.

Police did not immediately indicate a possible motive or the target.

Surveillance video published on a Twitter account Friday that appeared to be across the street from the blast captured the warning issuing from the RV, “… if you can hear this message, evacuate now,” seconds before the explosion.

The blast sent black smoke and flames billowing from the heart of downtown Nashville’s tourist scene, an area packed with honky-tonks, restaurants and shops. Buildings shook and windows shattered streets away from the explosion near a building owned by AT&T that lies one block from the company’s office tower, a landmark in downtown.

“We do not know if that was a coincidence, or if that was the intention,” police spokesman Don Aaron said. Aaron said earlier that some people were taken to the department’s central precinct for questioning but declined to give details.

AT&T said the affected building is the central office of a telephone exchange, with network equipment in it. The blast interrupted service, but the company declined to say how widespread outages were.

“Service for some customers in Nashville and the surrounding areas may be affected by damage to our facilities from the explosion this morning. We are in contact with law enforcement and working as quickly and safely as possible to restore service,” AT&T spokesman Jim Greer said in an emailed statement.

The AT&T outages site showed service issues in middle Tennessee and Kentucky, including Bowling Green about 65 miles (105 kilometers) north of Nashville. Several police agencies reported that their 911 systems were down because of the outage, including Murfreesboro and Knox County, home to Knoxville about 180 miles (290 kilometers) east of Nashville.

The Federal Aviation Administration temporarily halted flights out of Nashville International Airport because of telecommunications issues associated with the explosion.

Three people were taken to area hospitals for treatment after the blast, although none were in critical condition, Aaron said. Authorities don’t know whether anyone was in the vehicle when it exploded. Cooper said the city was lucky that the number of injuries was limited.

The FBI will be taking the lead in the investigation, agency spokesman Joel Siskovic said. Federal investigators 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 acts of terrorism.

A Philadelphia man staying in a nearby hotel said that when he heard the blast, he was knew it wasn’t harmless.

“We tried to rationalize it that it was an earthquake or something, but it was obvious it wasn’t an earthquake,” Joseph Fafara said. He said he traveled to Tennessee with his family on Christmas because the state has looser COVID-19 restrictions than Philadelphia.

When he went to look at the damage, police barricades had already been put in place. At noon, police dogs continued to search cars and buildings in the nearby area.

Buck McCoy, who lives near the area, posted videos on Facebook that show water pouring down the ceiling of his home. Alarms blare in the background along with cries of people in distress. A fire is visible in the street outside.

McCoy said he heard gunfire 15 minutes before the explosion rocked his building, set cars in the street on fire and blew trees apart.

“All my windows, every single one of them got blown into the next room. If I had been standing there it would have been horrible,” he said.

“It felt like a bomb. It was that big,” he told The Associated Press.

President Donald Trump has been briefed, according to White House spokesperson Judd Deere. The U.S. Justice Department said Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen was also briefed and directed all department resources be made available to help with the investigation.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said on Twitter that the state would provide the resources necessary “to determine what happened and who was responsible.”

The American Red Cross of Tennessee announced that it was working with officials to open a shelter for victims.

 

 

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