Law enforcement officials suspect that the man accused of detonating a bomb in downtown Nashville in the early hours of Christmas Day was more intent on causing destruction than fatalities, and are investigating whether or not his “paranoia” with 5G technology could have contributed to the attack.
Investigators are conducting interviews and searching for evidence that could lead them to the cause of the Friday morning explosion, which damaged dozens of buildings, injured three people and killed the suspect, Anthony Quinn Warner.
David Rausch, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, told NBC’s “Today” program on Monday that authorities may never get “a complete answer” about why Warner, 63, detonated the explosive after announcing his alleged intention to do it on a recording that bellowed from your recreational vehicle.
NASHVILLE BOMBING SUSPECTED THAT ANTHONY QUINN WARNER WAS GIVING PROPERTY, CLAIM THAT HE IS RETIRED, SICK: REPORT
“Much of this will be what we can collect through interviews and, ultimately, where the evidence points us,” said Rausch, “but we may never be able to discover the exact reason behind the activities that took place.”
The senior official added that the recording, which warned that a bomb would explode in 15 minutes, leads investigators to believe that Warner was not interested in hurting other people.
“Obviously, the vehicle audio warning people that an explosion was imminent, the opportunity to clean up the area, certainly gives you the perception that the possibility was that he had no intention of hurting anyone but himself, but that obviously influences our investigation, “he said. “It seems that the intention was more destruction than death, but again, all of this is still speculation at this point, as we continue our investigation.”
ANTHONY QUINN WARNER: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE SUSPECT OF BOMBARDER NASHVILLE
The police received a call about shots fired on Friday morning and responded by finding the trailer playing the beep, which then changed to Petula Clark’s “Downtown”. The blast occurred at approximately 6:30 am, near an AT&T-owned building that is one block from the company’s office tower.
This undated image posted on social media by the FBI shows Anthony Quinn Warner. (Courtesy of the FBI via AP)
Officials previously confirmed to the Associated Press that they were investigating the possibility of the AT&T building being a target.
The blast damaged the building and wreaked havoc on cell phone service, police and hospital communications in several southern states, while the company was working to restore service.
According to The New York Times, Warner had a distant relationship with AT&T, as his father worked for a company that later merged with the telecommunications giant. It was not clear whether this played a role in the bombing.
WHAT IS 5G?
Meanwhile, a source told the Daily Mail on Monday that investigators are “waiting for the digital footprint that should finally provide us with some answers”.
The source, who was identified in the report as “close to the investigation”, also said that investigators began to suspect that Warner’s motive could be his concern about 5G technology.
“The unofficial reason so far is that the suspect believed that 5G was the root of all deaths in the region and that he would be considered a hero,” said the source.
Local news station WKRN reported that the police are “looking seriously” at the possibility that Warner’s motive involved “paranoia about 5G technology”.
The agents have not publicly confirmed any reason so far.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION
“These responses will not come quickly and will still require a lot of effort from our team,” FBI special agent Doug Korneski told reporters on Sunday. “While we may be able to answer some [of] these questions as our investigation continues, none of these answers will be sufficient for those affected by this event. “
The Associated Press contributed to this report.