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An explosion rocked the largely deserted streets of downtown Nashville in the United States early on Christmas morning (local time), smashing windows, damaging buildings and injuring three people. Authorities said they believed the explosion was intentional.
Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake said police were responding to a shooting report when they encountered a recreational vehicle with a full-volume recording saying a possible bomb would detonate in 15 minutes. Police evacuated nearby buildings and called the bomb squad.
“Shortly after that, the RV exploded,” Drake told a news conference at noon.
Andrew Nelles / AP
A vehicle catches fire after an explosion in Nashville.
Surveillance video posted to a Twitter account Friday that appeared to be recorded from across the street captured an audio recording that included the warning, “… if you can hear this message, evacuate now.” The explosion was captured on surveillance video seconds later.
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Metro Nashville Police Department spokesman Don Aaron said three people were taken to area hospitals for treatment, although none were in critical condition. However, authorities do not know if someone was in the vehicle when it exploded.
Aaron previously said that some people were taken to the department’s headquarters for questioning, but he declined to elaborate.
Mark Humphrey / AP
Emergency personnel work near the scene of an explosion in downtown Nashville, Tennessee.
The FBI will take the lead in the investigation, 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.
At noon, police dogs continued to search cars and buildings in the nearby area.
A Philadelphia man who was staying at a nearby hotel said that when he heard the explosion, he knew it was not a harmless noise.
“It was a very strong explosion,” said Joseph Fafara. “We tried to rationalize it by saying it was an earthquake or something. But it was obvious that it was not an earthquake ”. He said he traveled to Tennessee with his family for Christmas because the state has looser Covid-19 restrictions than Philadelphia.
Fafara came out to see the damage, but police barricades had already been placed.
Black smoke and flames were seen pouring out of the area early Friday, which is packed with bars, restaurants and other retail establishments and is known as the heart of downtown Nashville’s tourist scene.
Mark Humphrey / AP
A member of the security forces walks past the damage from an explosion on Christmas Day.
Buildings shook in the immediate area and beyond after a loud crash was heard.
Buck McCoy, who lives near the area, posted videos on Facebook showing water falling from the roof of his home. Alarms sound in the background and the cries of people in great anguish sound in the background. A fire is visible on the street outside.
McCoy says he heard gunshots 15 minutes before the explosion rocked his building. McCoy said the windows in his house were totally broken.
“All my windows, each and every one of them blew into the next room. If it had been there, it would have been horrible, ”he said.
“It felt like a bomb. It was that big, “he said. The Associated Press.
“There were about four cars on fire. I don’t know if it was so hot that they caught fire and the trees were blown up, “he said.
US President Donald Trump has been informed, according to White House spokesman Judd Deere, who said Trump, who is vacationing in Florida, will continue to receive regular updates.
Mark Humphrey / AP
Buildings shook in the immediate area and beyond after a loud roar was heard early on Christmas morning.
The US Department of Justice said Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen was also informed and ordered that all department resources be available to assist with the investigation.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said on Twitter that the state would provide the necessary resources “to determine what happened and who was responsible. Please join me and @MariaLeeTN in praying for the injured and we thank all of our first responders who acted so quickly this morning. “
Nashville Mayor John Cooper said the city was fortunate that the number of injuries was limited.
