A bomb explosion erupted in Downtown Nashville Tennessee at 6:30 AM on Christmas morning, damaging nearly 20 buildings and injuring 3 in the American city, known for its rich music and culture. Police reports have described the blast as ‘significant’ and ‘intentional’ after they found a recreational vehicle with a “recording” saying the bomb would detonate in 15 minutes.
Authorities from the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) reported widespread communications outages, including downtime of police emergency systems at Murfreesboro and Knox County, about 180 miles (290 kilometers) east of Nashville.
Fly Nashville, while issuing a travel alert, announced the cancellation of flights at the city’s airport. “Due to telecommunications issues associated with this morning’s incident in downtown Nashville, FAA has temporarily halted flights out of BNA,” it said on Twitter.
Metro Nashville Police Chief, John Drake, said that police were responding to a report of shots fired in the area when they encountered the RV blaring the recorded warning.
“We evacuated nearby buildings and called in the bomb squad. The RV exploded shortly afterward” Drake said at a news conference.
Nashville Mayor, John Cooper, has issued a state of emergency and a curfew after touring the site on 2nd Ave N, near the AT&T building. The FBI as the primary law enforcement agency responsible for investigating federal crimes, such as explosives violations and acts of terrorism, has taken over investigations.
The Associated Press (AP) in Nashville reported that authorities have found human remains in the vicinity of the explosion, although it is unclear if the remains are those of the perpetrator or victim – or if unconnected to the incident. The 3 people injured in the incident were transported to area hospitals after the explosion, however, none was reported to be in critical condition.
According to White House spokesperson, Judd Deere, President Donald Trump has been briefed on the incident and he is “grateful for the incredible first responders and praying for those who were injured.”
The U.S. Justice Department also said Acting Attorney General, Jeff Rosen, has directed ‘all department resources be made available’ to help with the investigation.
Images and video footage capturing extensive damage from the explosion have since circulated on social media. Security camera footage of a condo at the Exchange Lofts on Church Street courtesy of Kirt Webster showed moments of the explosion that blew off glass windows and cut off electricity supply in the building.
“We’re putting everything we have into finding who was responsible for what’s happened here today,” FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Matt Foster, has said.
The FBI has established a digital tip line for anyone with information about the Nashville explosion, while federal, state, and local law enforcement partners continue to share updates as they become available.
