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Mark Humphrey
The detonation, which was preceded by a warning to residents, caused massive property damage in the city center and three people were injured.
The perpetrator was identified on the basis of DNA samples, said local FBI chief Douglas Korneski. Investigators had found human tissue near the exploded trailer, which could be compared to other DNA samples after a search of his home. “We have concluded that the attacker was a person named Anthony Warner,” said prosecutor in charge Donald Cochran. “He was there when the bomb went off and he died in the explosion,” Cochran said.
The 63-year-old was not previously known to police as a suspect, he said. Investigators also did not provide information on what type of explosives the perpetrator had used. They also left open whether the case could still be classified as terrorism because the motive of the perpetrator was not yet clear. Such an attack could be considered terrorism if there was an ideological or political motive for the perpetrators.
Shortly before the explosion, early Friday morning, there was a warning to residents. They were told through a loudspeaker announcement from the trailer to leave the area due to an imminent explosion. The ads began a 15-minute countdown, after which the explosion occurred. The police officers who were there were able to bring several residents to safety. According to investigators, the residents died without warning.
Images from the blast site showed damaged houses, burned cars and debris on the street. After the explosion on Friday, several fires could be seen in the photos; a rising column of black smoke was visible from afar. Mayor John Cooper spoke of “catastrophic damage.” More than 40 stores were damaged, he said. The explosion also damaged a building of the communications company AT&T, causing many customers in the region to lose telephone and data connections for several days.
After the explosion, only the FBI participated in the investigation with about 250 agents. With the help of surveillance camera footage and debris from the caravan, experts were apparently able to quickly establish the connection to the perpetrator. His home outside Nashville was searched by investigators on Saturday.
Nashville, often called “Music City,” is the capital of Tennessee in the southern United States with a population of nearly 700,000. It is considered the center of country music due to its many live music bars and record labels.
