Investigators suspect suicide bombing in Nashville: Report
NASHVILLE: Investigators probing the explosion in downtown Nashville on Christmas morning are now seeing the possibility of it being a suicide bombing, according to US media reports.
Authorities searched a house in the Nashville area on Saturday as they probed the large blast that injured three people and damaged dozens of buildings.
The operation in Antioch came as US media reports said a 63-year-old “person of interest” had been identified in connection with the explosion, which came from a parked motorhome that blared a warning minutes before it blew up.
Some US media outlets reported on Saturday evening that the bomber may have been killed in the blast, but authorities have not officially confirmed anything.
Authorities were examining tissue found at the blast site that they believe could be human remains. They now believe the blast might have been an act of suicide bombing, according to two law enforcement sources with direct knowledge of the investigation, CNN reported.
Officials said they were working vigorously to identify whom the remains belonged to.
Police say the blast was an “intentional act” but the motive remained unclear, and FBI behavioural analysts were involved in the investigation.
There were other signs of progress in the investigation, as the FBI revealed that it was looking at a number of individuals who may be connected to it. 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.
The infrastructure damage, meanwhile, was broadly felt, due to an AT&T central office being affected by the blast. Police emergency systems in Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama, as well as Nashville’s Covid-19 community hotline and a handful of hospital systems, remained out of service.