FBI at home of possible person of interest in bombing
Federal agents converged Saturday on the home of a possible person of interest in the explosion that rocked downtown Nashville as investigators scoured hundreds of tips and leads in the blast that pulverized city blocks on Christmas morning and damaged dozens of buildings.
More than 24 hours after the explosion, a motive remained elusive as investigators worked roundthe- clock to resolve unanswered questions about the mysterious blast, which took place on a mostly deserted street on a sleepy holiday morning and was prefaced by a recorded warning advising those nearby to evacuate.
Still, there were signs of progress in the investigation, as the FBI revealed that it was looking at a number of individuals who may be connected to the investigation. Officials also said no additional explosive devices have been found — indicating no active threat to the area. Investigators have received around 500 tips and leads.
“It’s just going to take us some time,” Douglas Korneski, the special agent in charge in charge of the FBI’s Memphis field office, said at a Saturday afternoon news conference. “Our investigative team is turning over every stone” to understand who did this and why.
Around the same time, investigators from multiple federal and local law enforcement agencies were at a home in Antioch, in suburban Nashville, after receiving information relevant to the investigation, said FBI Special Agent Jason Pack. Another law enforcement official, who was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said investigators regard a person associated with the property as a person of interest.
Federal agents could be seen looking around the property, searching the home and the backyard. A Google Maps image had shown a similar recreational vehicle parked in the backyard when the photo was captured in May 2019; an AP reporter at the scene did not see the vehicle at the property in the late afternoon Saturday.
Separately, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said in a report Saturday that tissue samples found at the scene were determined to be human remains. Officials said they were working vigorously to identify whom the remains belong to.
But questions endured about the mysterious circumstances of the explosion, which officials said injured three people after a bomb detonated inside a recreational vehicle. If the goal was to harm an untold number of citizens, then why did the explosive go off so early in the morning before streets were bustling with activity and why did a pre-recorded warning from the RV announce that a bomb would detonate in 15 minutes? And if the goal wasn’t human destruction, then what was it?