Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake told reporters during an update yesterday afternoon that no suspects had yet been identified in yesterday morning’s bombing outside the AT&T building in Nashville’s tourist district, nor was a motive known for the apparent attack. The bomb came from a recreational vehicle, which blew up after a loudspeaker message warned of the blast and gave a countdown to detonation. This afternoon, authorities indicated only that “a person of interest”—not so far a suspect, has been identified, and many leads are being pursued. The latest speculation is that the perpetrator may be a suicide bomber. Human remains were found in the RV wreckage.
Three people were injured in the blast, but swift pre-blast evacuation by the police saved many lives. They activated after the loudspeaker started. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has asked President Trump for federal assistance due to the “severity and magnitude” of the explosion’s impact.
The bombing caused damage over a wide area, affecting 40 buildings in the neighborhood. Outages in telecommunications occurred, affecting Nashville’s 911 service, and the airport, and residents across Tennessee from Kentucky to Alabama. Tennessee authorities have asked people statewide to use their phones only for emergency calls. Repair efforts were hampered by a fire that reignited in the AT&T building the night of Christmas day.
So far, law enforcement sources have told the media that there were no known credible threats in the Nashville area that would have signaled an impending attack on or before Christmas, and that federal authorities are not aware of any increased chatter nationally by known extremist groups that would indicate any credible plans for conducting attacks around the holidays.
