The blast came just moments after officers responded to reports of gunfire in the area and discovered the recreational vehicle parked outside an AT&T office tower in downtown Nashville at about 6 a.m. CST (1200 GMT). Police heard a recorded voice warning that a "bomb would detonate in 15 minutes," Nashville Police Chief John Drake told reporters. The message, as captured in a recording broadcast later by local television news stations, said: "This area must be evacuated now. She said the voice warned the vehicle contained a bomb and started a minute-by-minute countdown to the actual explosion. Andrew McCabe, a former deputy FBI director, told CNN an explosion the size of Friday`s blast would be investigated as a possible act of terrorism, whether domestic or international.

Source: dna December 26, 2020 02:03 UTC