500 tips come in as FBI investigates Christmas Day explosion
One day after an RV exploded and rocked downtown Nashville, federal law enforcement officials said that 500 leads and tips were being investigated.
A person of interest has been identified in connection with the Christmas day explosion, a law enforcement source confirmed to The (Nashville) Tennessean – part of the USA TODAY Network – on Saturday.
But Douglas Korneski, FBI special agent in charge of the Memphis Field Office, would not identify any suspects at a Saturday afternoon press conference.
Police also found what they believe are human remains but have not yet confirmed any fatalities. It is still unclear whether the remains were that of anyone involved in explosion. The FBI and ATF have taken the lead in the investigation.
Work to identify the source of the tissue continues, Korneski said Saturday.
The scene of the explosion presents “quite a challenge” to bomb technicians, said Donald Cochran, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. It’s like a “giant jigsaw puzzle created by a bomb that throws pieces of evidence across multiple city blocks.”
“Nashville is safe,” Nashville Metro police Chief John Drake said Saturday. There are “no known threats” against the city, he said.
Investigators with the FBI, ATF and the Metro Nashville Police Department converged on a location in the Antioch neighborhood of Nashville just before 11 a.m. Saturday.
Darrell DeBusk, an FBI public affairs officer, said no arrest has been made. Neighbors told The Tennessean an RV similar to the one in the explosion was parked at the home within the last two weeks.
“This was a terrible day, but Nashville has faced other challenges, particularly this year,” Nashville Mayor John Cooper said late Friday. “We can rebuild and get back to normal. This morning’s attack on our community was intended to create chaos and fear in this season of peace and hope, but the spirit of our city cannot be broken.”
Gov. Bill Lee requested emergency aid from the White House on Saturday because of the “severity and magnitude of the current situation.”
“This morning I toured the site of the bombing,” Lee said in a tweet. He toured the premises with his wife, Maria, who he says recently recovered from COVID-19. “The damage is shocking and it is a miracle that no residents were killed.”
He also expressed gratitude to local and federal authorities for their courage and leadership amid the crisis.
At least 41 businesses in the area were damaged in the explosion. Three people were hospitalised with injuries, but all were in stable condition, authorities said.
USA Today.
