An explosion associated with compound rocks in downtown Nashville

Nashville – A recreational vehicle parked on deserted streets in downtown Nashville exploded early on Christmas morning, causing widespread communications disruptions disrupting police emergency systems and halting vacation travel at the city’s airport. The authorities said they believed the explosion was deliberate.

John Drake, captain of the Nashville Metro Police, said police were responding to a report of a shooting on Friday when they encountered an RV firing a taped warning that a bomb would explode within 15 minutes. Police evacuated nearby buildings and called a bomb squad. Drake said at a press conference this afternoon that the RV exploded shortly thereafter.

“It appears that a bomb exploded on Second Avenue,” Nashville Mayor John Cooper said after touring the area.

Police did not immediately indicate the possible motive or goal.

A surveillance video posted on a Twitter account on Friday that appeared to be across the street from the explosion captured the warning from an RV, “… if you can hear this message, evacuate now” seconds before the explosion.

The blast sent black smoke and flames from the heart of the tourist scene in central Nashville, an area filled with honky tonks, restaurants and shops. Buildings shook and windows shattered in the streets away from the explosion near an AT&T-owned building located one block from the company’s office tower, a landmark in the city center.

Police spokesman Don Aaron said, “We don’t know if it was a coincidence or if it was the intention. Earlier, Aaron said some people were taken to the department’s central district for questioning but he refused to provide details.”

AT&T said the affected building was the central telephone exchange office with network equipment. The explosion cut off service, but the company declined to disclose how widespread the outages were.

“Service may be affected for some customers in Nashville and surrounding areas due to damage to our facilities from the explosion this morning. We are in contact with law enforcement and are working as quickly and safely as possible to restore service,” said AT&T spokesman Jim Greer. In an e-mailed statement.

The AT&T outage site showed service problems in central Tennessee and Kentucky, including Bowling Green 65 miles (105 kilometers) north of Nashville. Several police agencies reported that their 911 systems were down due to outages, including Murfreesboro and Knox County, Knoxville’s home town about 180 miles (290 kilometers) east of Nashville.

The Federal Aviation Administration has temporarily suspended flights from Nashville International Airport due to communication issues associated with the explosion.

Aaron said that three people were taken to area hospitals for treatment after the explosion, although none of them were in critical condition. The authorities did not know if anyone was in the car when it exploded. Cooper said the city was lucky because the number of casualties was limited.

CIA spokesman Joel Cescovic said the FBI would take over the investigation. Federal investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were at the scene. The FBI is the primary law enforcement agency responsible for investigating federal crimes, such as explosive violations and acts of terrorism.

A man from Philadelphia staying at a nearby hotel said that when he heard the explosion, he knew it was harmless.

Joseph Favara said: “We tried to justify what happened as an earthquake or something, but it was clear that it was not an earthquake.” He said he traveled to Tennessee with his family for Christmas because the state has COVID-19 restrictions more flexible than Philadelphia.

When he went to look at the damage, the police barricades were already set up. At noon, police dogs continued to search cars and buildings in the vicinity.

Buck McCoy, who lives near the area, posted videos on Facebook showing water pouring on his roof. Alarms go off in the background as the distressed people scream. Fire is clear in the street outside.

McCoy said he heard gunfire 15 minutes before the blast, which rocked his building, set cars on fire and blew up trees.

He said, “All of my windows, every single one of them blew in the next room. If I were standing there it would have been terrible.”

“It felt like a bomb. It was this big,” he told the Associated Press.

President Donald Trump has been briefed, according to White House spokesman Jude Derry. The US Department of Justice said Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen has been informed and directed to provide all Department resources to assist with the investigation.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said on Twitter that the state would provide the necessary resources “to determine what happened and who is responsible.”

The American Red Cross in Tennessee announced that it is working with officials to open a shelter for victims.

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