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- A motor home parked on a street exploded in downtown Nashville at dawn Friday, moments after a recorded message emanating from the vehicle warned of a bomb.
- Three people suffered minor injuries, what police called an “intentional act” in the heart of America’s country music capital.
- Police reported hours later that investigators had found possible human remains near the site.
A motor home parked on a street exploded in downtown Nashville at dawn Friday, moments after a recorded message emanating from the vehicle warned of a bomb, in what police called an “intentional act” in the heart of the country music capital of the United States.
Three people were slightly injured in the explosion on Christmas morning. Authorities said it was unclear if someone was inside the RV when it exploded, but police reported hours later that investigators had found possible human remains near the site.
Nashville Mayor John Cooper ordered a curfew to be imposed around the blast site over the holiday weekend while FBI investigators searched the scene, although police said they were unaware of further threats to the most populous city in Tennessee.
The blast came moments after officers responded to reports of gunfire in the area and discovered the RV parked outside an AT&T office tower in downtown Nashville around 12:00.
Police heard a recorded voice warning that “a bomb would detonate in 15 minutes,” Nashville Police Chief John Drake told reporters.
The message, captured in a recording later broadcast by local television news stations, read: “This area must be evacuated now. This area must be evacuated now. If you can hear this message, evacuate now. If you can hear this message , evacuate now. “
Officers quickly went door-to-door in nearby buildings to get people to safety and called for the police bomb squad, which was heading to the scene, to be dispatched when the vehicle exploded, the police spokesman said. Don Aaron.
The Metro Nashville Police Department posted a photo of the RV on its Twitter account and said the vehicle had arrived in the area at 1:22 a.m.
Computer generated voice
An area resident identified on CNN as Betsy Williams told the network that the sound of gunfire woke her up and she looked out the window to see a motorhome parked across the street as she began to play a message delivered by a female voice. ” computerized “. She said the voice warned that the vehicle contained a bomb and began a minute-by-minute countdown to the actual explosion.
“Everything shook, it was wonderful,” he told CNN.
The blast of fire destroyed several other vehicles parked nearby, smashed windows and severely damaged several adjacent buildings, sending a layer of black smoke into the sky that could be seen for miles. The mayor said 41 businesses in total suffered material damage.
Firefighters said three people were taken to local hospitals with relatively minor injuries and were in stable condition. Authorities said quick action by police to begin evacuating the area before the blast likely prevented more casualties.
“Obviously, they heard the announcements coming from this vehicle,” Aaron told reporters. “They took them seriously. And they worked to seal off the streets to protect people and we think it worked.” He called the explosion “an intentional act.”
Stores and other buildings were closed due to early morning, the Christmas holidays, and current Covid-19 restrictions on public gatherings, which also helped keep injuries to a minimum.
In an early afternoon briefing, Drake, the police chief, told reporters that “there are no fatalities that we know of,” but said investigators were examining “tissue that we believe may be human remains.” in the vicinity of the explosion.
Police said they had not found out if someone was in the motorhome when it exploded.
Unclear reason
Drake said authorities had received no threats of an attack prior to reports of gunfire at the beginning of the incident, describing the explosion as a “total surprise.”
“We had no prior warning,” he said.
The explosion happened about two blocks from Lower Broadway, where Nashville’s famous live music venues are located. The Ryman Auditorium, former home of the Grand Ole Opry, is located just three blocks from the scene of the explosion.
The blast could be heard from miles away and felt at least nine blocks away, knocking down an officer, Aaron said.
Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were assisting in the investigation, agency officials said.
Andrew McCabe, former deputy director of the FBI, told CNN that an explosion the size of Friday’s blast would be investigated as a possible act of terrorism, whether domestic or international.
Police offered no explanation for a possible motive, but McCabe said police may have been the target of the blast since police were called to the scene beforehand.
Nashville Deputy Mayor Jim Shulman told CNN that the incident appeared to have been a lonely act, and police said they did not see an ongoing threat, although bomb-sniffing dogs were being driven through downtown as a measure to caution.
The city’s fire chief, William Swann, said search teams were also checking nearby buildings for possible victims and to make sure structures were in good repair.
President Donald Trump was briefed on the blast, a White House spokesman said. President-elect Joe Biden was also informed, his office said.
Car bombs in the United States are rare.
A 1995 truck bomb in Oklahoma City killed 168 people, including 19 children, and injured hundreds. In April 2010, a food vendor thwarted an attempt to detonate a car bomb in New York’s Times Square.
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