The
U.S. city of Nashville, Tennessee has been hit by an early morning blast. Three
are being treated in the downtown area for non-critical injuries after a
recreational vehicle (RV) exploded. The police said that the blast was “an
intentional act.”
“In
this season of harmony and hope, this assault on our neighborhood was meant to
cause confusion and terror. But Nashvillians have proven time and time again
that the spirit of our city cannot be broken,” Mayor John Cooper said at a
news conference after issuing a curfew for the area.
Due to telecommunication
difficulties involved with the downtown blast, flights from Nashville airport
were suspended.
The
Associated Press was informed by two law enforcement officials that human
remains had been discovered near the blast. If the remains were connected to
the blast was unknown or if they may refer to the person suspected to be
responsible or a survivor.
“We
have found tissue that we believe could be remains, but we’ll have that
examined and let you know at that time,” Metro Nashville Police Chief John
Drake said said, adding that police could not say whether it potentially came
from someone inside the RV.
The
Christmas Day blast, which rocked the heart of America’s country music capital,
came just moments after officers responded to reports of gunfire in the area
and discovered the RV parked outside a downtown office tower at about 6 a.m.
CST (1200 GMT).
Police
heard a recorded voice warning that a “bomb would detonate in 15
minutes,” Nashville Police Chief John Drake told reporters later.
The
message, later broadcast on local media, said “This area must be evacuated
now. This area must be evacuated now. If you can hear this message, evacuate
now. If you can hear this message, evacuate now.”
The
blast sent black smoke and flames billowing from buildings, restaurants and
shops, among which is a building owned by AT&T that lies one block from the
company’s office tower, a landmark in downtown.
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“We
do not know if that was a coincidence, or if that was the intention,”
police spokesman Don Aaron said. He said earlier that some people were taken to
the department’s central precinct for questioning but declined to give details.
The
FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for information regarding the explosion. So
far no one has claimed responsibility.
Andrew
McCabe, a former deputy FBI director, told CNN an explosion of this size would
be investigated as a possible act of terrorism, whether domestic or
international.
The
police did not give the apparent bombing a potential motive. McCabe said that
since they were called to the scene beforehand, police may have been the target
of the blast.
