Authorities search for motive in Nashville blast

Authorities search for motive in Nashville blast

[NFA] Officials on Tuesday continued to search for the motive behind a bombing that rocked Nashville on Christmas morning, with the FBI saying that the 63-year-old suspect who carried out the suicide mission was previously 'not on our radar'.

Colette Luke has more.

Federal, state and law enforcement officers on Tuesday continued to search for the motive behind the bombing that rocked Nashville, Tennessee on Christmas morning and why the 63-year-old suspect carried out his suicide mission.

David Rausch, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, said on Monday that the motive of the suspect identified as Anthony Q.

Warner remained elusive.

"He was not on our radar," Rausch said adding, "He was not someone that was identified as a person of interest for the Bureau and so we were not familiar with this individual until this incident." The explosion in the heart of America’s country music capital last Friday injured three people and damaged more than 40 businesses including an AT&T switching center, disrupting mobile, internet and TV services across central Tennessee and parts of four other states.

Warner's motor home exploded at dawn on Friday soon after police responded to reports of gunfire and an automated message emanating from the vehicle warning of a bomb.

Warner's RV also played a recording of Petula Clark's 1964 song "Downtown" before the blast.

Police hurried to evacuate people in the area.

Warner is the only person known to have perished.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper has said that local officials felt there had to be some connection between the bombing, which occurred near an AT&T transmission building on the city's bustling Second Avenue, and the company.

At a briefing on Monday, Rausch said Warner's father had worked for AT&T but that it was unclear if that was in any way connected.

On Saturday, investigators searched Warner's home and visited a Nashville real estate agency where Warner had worked part-time, providing computer consulting services before retiring earlier this month.

Nashville Councilman At-Large Bob Mendes said that while it seems Warner took steps with the warning to limit deaths, the bombing was likely to be labeled domestic terrorism once the suspect's agenda becomes clear.