Vehicle explodes in downtown Nashville, police call ‘intentional act’

NASHVILLE, Tennessee: A vehicle exploded in downtown Nashville on Christmas morning in what police described as an “intentional act” and fire officials said they took three people to the hospital, but none of them were seriously injured.

“The explosion was significant, as you can see … the police department, its federal partners, the FBI and the ATF, are conducting a full-scale investigation up to this point,” said Don Aaron, spokesman for the police in Nashville. “We believe the explosion was an intentional act.”

Police did not reveal the reason for the explosion.

The explosion was felt nine blocks away and destroyed several vehicles and damaged several buildings, sending black smoke into the sky that could be seen from miles away.

Andrew McCabe, former deputy director of the FBI, told CNN that an explosion of this size would be investigated as a possible act of terrorism. He said it was possible that police were the target of the blasts given that they were responding to a report of a suspicious vehicle when it blew up.

Authorities were on their way to the scene after 6 a.m. before the explosion occurred in an RV parked near a bank building in the heart of Nashville, the capital of both Tennessee and American country music.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper urged people to stay away from the city center as police and federal authorities launched their investigation.

“There were trees everywhere, glass everywhere,” Nashville resident Buck McCoy told CNN.

Interviewed by CNN, McCabe said it was unclear whether the timing of Christmas Day was a factor in the explosion. He said investigators would be looking into whether any buildings in the area were a target.