The Nashville explosion and its aftermath
A terrifying explosion thundered in the streets of Nashville. Three people, including one officer, were hospitalized, according to the FBI and local authorities. According to the video, which caught the moment of the explosion, a message about an impending terrorist attack was played from a van filled with explosives. A woman's voice told to evacuate.
“If you can hear this message, evacuate now. If you can hear this message, evacuate now.”
At a press conference, police said that as soon as it became known about a possible disaster, police officers made attempts to evacuate residents of the scene of the attack. They knocked on doors and escorted people to safety.
Deminers also surveyed the surrounding streets and reported that no other bombs had been found.
Investigators say police responded to reports of shots fired this morning in downtown Nashville. Audio was heard coming from a RV saying a bomb would be going off in 15 minutes. The RV blew up. 3 people are wounded. Several buildings damaged. pic.twitter.com/XmegZYA48X
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) December 25, 2020
Some Internet users have identified possible targets for the attack. According to Reddit user u/s4nskrit, Room 641A of a telecom intercept facility operated by AT&T for the U.S. NSA.
According to police, the vehicle arrived on 2nd Ave at 1:22 a.m. Anyone with information on the RV or bombing was asked to call Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463 or report it online via http://fbi.gov/nashville.
BREAKING: This is the RV that exploded on 2nd Ave N this morning. It arrived on 2nd Ave at 1:22 a.m. Have you seen this vehicle in our area or do you have information about it? Please contact us via Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463 or online via https://t.co/dVGS7o0m4v. @ATFHQ pic.twitter.com/JNx9sDinAH
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) December 25, 2020
At the moment, the city has a curfew and a state of emergency. The FBI and other services are investigating the incident. Nothing is known about the explosive device yet.