Nobody paid any attention when a white RV eased along 2nd Avenue, parking next to a crucial ATT switch building in Nashville, Tennessee at around 1:22 a.m Christmas morning. Everyone eventually learned it was there, after it exploded. Authorities are very carefully not saying a word but it looks like a terror incident. As of now, nobody is sure who might be behind it but allegedly, there are people being questioned.
A Christmas explosion in Nashville
The whole incident started with the sound of gunfire. Nashville police responded Friday to the downtown area after a “report of shots fired.” They got there around 5:30, and were “on the scene investigating” when they reportedly “heard a recording coming from a parked RV around 6:00.”
The RV suddenly started “warning people in the area to evacuate.” The repeat loop gave “15 minutes” but the bomb didn’t go off until 6:30. “If you can hear this message, evacuate now.”
It’s clear that the target was the AT&T switch building because the vehicle was parked right at the curb. The blast “sent black smoke and flames billowing from the heart of downtown Nashville. “Buildings shook and windows shattered streets away from the explosion.”
As Nashville resident Buck McCoy posted on social media, there was “water pouring down the ceiling of his home.” In his video, alarms can be heard in the background “along with cries of people in distress.
A fire is visible in the street outside.” McCoy heard “gunfire 15 minutes before the explosion.” When the blast went off, “all my windows, every single one of them got blown into the next room. If I had been standing there it would have been horrible.”
Three people were injured but not seriously and officials are reporting that human remains were found at the scene but they can’t even tell for sure that’s what they are at this point so identification of a potential suspect is out of the question. Tests are pending.
Six Nashville police officers are being called “heroes” for helping to evacuate the area. “what we witnessed yesterday morning was nothing short of heroism and courageous actions by those six officers.” Chief John Drake with the Metro Police proclaimed.
Apparent target was communications.
Nashville police are convinced that this was a deliberate act, but won’t speculate as to who might be behind it. They also won’t confirm that the ATT switch building and ensuing communications outages were the target or not.
“We do not know if that was a coincidence, or if that was the intention,” police spokesman Don Aaron said in a statement. Earlier he told the press that “some people were taken to the department’s central precinct for questioning” but left it at that.
The #FBI, @ATFNashville, and @MNPDNashville are seeking information on the operator or owner of a recreational vehicle linked to an explosion on December 25 at 5:30 a.m. CST in Nashville, Tennessee. Visit https://t.co/9JCLEQk4R2 to submit a tip. https://t.co/QoAsVrHBsE pic.twitter.com/VSlq8bWCue
— FBI (@FBI) December 26, 2020
AT&T issued a statement explaining that “the affected building is the central office of a telephone exchange, with network equipment in it.” Police agencies reported “that their 911 systems were down because of the outage.”
The phone company is “bringing in portable cell sites” and “working with law enforcement to get access to make repairs to its equipment” in Nashville. They’re “trying to restore power to AT&T equipment but a fire reignited overnight and led to an evacuation of the building.”
AT&T and T-Mobile cell phone networks went down, along with 911 call centers across Tennessee. Kentucky and northern Alabama were also affected, along with retailers, including Walmart. “Many Walmart stores are only able to accept cash and are not processing returns,” because “stores are experiencing temporary internet outages.”
ATT deployed two portable cell sites in downtown Nashville with “numerous” additional portable sites being deployed through the region. “Currently, our teams are on site working with safety and structural engineers. They have drilled access holes into the building and are attempting to reconnect power to critical equipment. Technical teams are also working as quickly as possible on rerouting additional services to other facilities in the region to restore service.”
