(The Center Square) – Law enforcement officials said Sunday that Anthony Warner, 63, of Antioch, Tenn., was likely responsible for the Christmas Day bomb that exploded Christmas morning in downtown Nashville.
Special Agent in Charge Doug Korneski of the FBI Memphis Field Office said DNA examinations of tissue samples recovered from the blast site were consistent with those of Warner.
“Law enforcement is now announcing that Anthony Warner, 63, of Bakertown Rd, is the man believed responsible for Friday’s explosion,” the Metro Nashville Police Department tweeted. “He perished in the blast. No one else is presently believed to have been involved. Thank you to our federal & state partners.”
An RV parked in downtown Nashville exploded about 6:30 a.m. Friday. When Metro Nashville Police Department officers responded to a call of shots fired at 166 Second Avenue North at 5:30 a.m. Christmas morning, they found a parked RV blaring an audio warning that a bomb would detonate in 15 minutes.
Law enforcement officials said Sunday the Tennessee Highway Patrol locating and recovering the VIN number from the suspect’s RV was a key break in the investigation. That information, along with tips from the public, led to Warner’s home in Antioch.
The motive for the bombing still is unclear, law enforcement officials said.
— Jason Schaumburg, The Center Square