Nashville: FBI investigates connection to 5G conspiracy myths



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Damaged homes, burned cars, debris on the street, several injuries: In downtown Nashville, a caravan was used as a car bomb on Friday, and images of the destruction went around the world on Christmas Day. According to witnesses, the target of the blast was more likely to destroy something that killed uninvolved people; this was mainly indicated by the explicit warnings that preceded the attack.

The person responsible is now believed to be a 63-year-old man. “We have concluded that a person named Anthony Warner was the attacker,” said prosecutor Donald Cochran. “He was there when the bomb went off and he died in the explosion.”

But what was the motive of the man who lived outside of Nashville?

What felt like a connection

Researchers have yet to commit to any theory. However, Nashville Mayor John Cooper believes the attack is likely related to AT&T, because the caravan was parked near a large building belonging to the communications company. This is not the AT&T skyscraper in downtown, sometimes referred to as the “Batman Building,” but another high-rise building on Second Avenue that belongs to the company.

“For all of us on the ground, it seems like there has to be some connection between the AT&T facility and the location of the bombing,” Cooper said in a television interview: “It must have something to do with the infrastructure. “And local television station News4 Nashville also reports on an insider basis that the FBI is verifying whether the alleged perpetrator was a supporter of a 5G conspiracy theory. Of such a push in the investigation also reports CBS News.

AT&T is one of the largest providers in the US and is involved in the development of the new 5G cellular networks. In recent months, cell phone companies and their employees have been targeted by conspiracy theorists who view 5G as a threat. Mostly it is supported by angry comments online or anti-5G petitions, but in Britain radio masts have also been activated several times. Some opponents of the 5G network structure justify their actions with concerns about espionage, while others point to alleged health risks. Even with the spread of the coronavirus, 5G has often been linked online without a factual basis.

Do not discuss politics with the neighbors

It is unclear if Anthony Warner pushed for such theories. AT&T is one of around 40 companies and businesses that were directly affected by the attack. The Tennessee newspaper spoke to neighbors and acquaintances of the deceased: they describe him as someone who knew about computers, but lived in seclusion and had few social contacts. Neighbors said they were unaware of the man’s ideological convictions and politics was never discussed.

In fact, the theory that the attack could have targeted AT&T is just one of several investigative approaches surrounding the crime. Nashville police say so According to a NewsChannel 5 reporterPetula Clark’s song “Downtown” was heard from the trailer before the explosion. Among other things, this song contains the following line: “If you are alone and life makes you feel lonely, you can always go downtown.”

It is said that Anthony Warner left two houses to a 29-year-old from Los Angeles without charge, also discovered the American media: but now it is said that that woman has never heard of it.

Meanwhile, Newsweek magazine reports that Warner’s father once worked for a company that was acquired by AT&T in 2006. In 2011, the father died at the age of 78. Here it is also unclear whether and to what extent this detail is relevant to the crime.

Riots in other states too

The AT&T building in downtown Nashville was severely damaged in the blast, causing partial phone and cell phone connections in the area. The company itself says its building on 2nd Avenue houses connection points for regional Internet services, but also helps with cell phone coverage.

“In the hours after the explosion, our local service remained intact thanks to the temporary supply of power from the battery,” writes AT&T. “Unfortunately, the explosion and the resulting water and fire damage caused several emergency generators to supply electricity to the batteries.” Therefore, there were power outages in parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama.

In principle, it is difficult to restore the network while investigators want to inspect the crime scene in the most undisturbed conditions possible, AT&T emphasizes. According to local media, the emergency number was temporarily unavailable after the explosion.

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