They identified a suspect in the explosion generated by a vehicle in Nashville – Telam

Authorities investigating the circumstances of the explosion that caused extensive property damage and three injuries in Nashville, United States, have identified a suspect who had only been arrested this afternoon, official sources reported. .

Investigators from the Nashville Metropolitan Police and two federal agencies conducted a home search, “authorized by the court,” but made no arrests, a public affairs officer from the Federal Bureau of Investigation said. FBI), Darrell DeBusk, according to local newspaper The Tennessean.

The suspect was later identified as Anthony Quinn Warner, a 63-year-old white man who lives in Antioch, 12 miles from Nashville, where the raid took place and officers continued to focus their investigations, according to reports. sources cited by American television channels. ABC and CBS and the Italian news agency ANSA.

In addition to the Nashville Police Department, the investigation into the case included members of the FBI and the federal government’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Meanwhile, Tennessee State Governor Bill Lee has called on President Donald Trump to declare this district an emergency after a large explosion yesterday.

“This morning, I visited the area of ​​the explosion; the damage is shocking and it is a miracle that no inhabitant has died, ”Lee writes today in his accounts on various social networks.

The regional president said at least 41 businesses suffered damage from the blast and revealed he wrote a letter to the White House requesting the declaration of a state of emergency in Tennessee.

“These buildings, many of which are historic, and others will need to be examined by engineers for (check) their structural integrity and safety,” Lee said in the note.

The explosion, which occurred at 6.30am yesterday, destroyed part of a shopping street in the historic city center, considered the capital of country music.

Authorities only reported three injured people, although Metropolitan Police Chief John Drake reported tissue possibly remaining human remains was found at the scene of the blast.

According to initial reports, the explosion occurred in a mobile home parked in front of a building owned by the telephone company AT&T, which sustained damage that caused disruptions to telecommunications services not only in Tennessee but also in the States. neighbors of Alabama and Kentucky. .

AT&T reported today that it has installed two cell phone antennas in downtown Nashville and several others in nearby areas to restore communications, AFP reported.

Drake said last night that local police rushed to the scene of the explosion after neighbors reported gunfire at 5:30 a.m. and officers located the suspect vehicle at 6 a.m.

He added that 15 minutes later, the uniformed officers “heard the recording of a countdown” coming from inside the vehicle and that a loudspeaker message warned that a bomb would explode at 6.30am and call for the evacuation of the area.

Until this afternoon, the authorities – who stressed that they had never received any threats – did not know if there was anyone inside the motorhome at the time of the explosion. and had not reported any suspicion on the motive of the incident.