Follow Us on Google News
(REUTERS): A parked recreational vehicle exploded in downtown Nashville on Christmas morning in what police believe was an ‘intentional act’ and fire officials reported taking three people to the hospital.
The explosion was felt nine blocks away and destroyed several other vehicles and damaged several buildings, launching black smoke in the sky that could be seen for miles. A motive for the explosion was not disclosed by police.
“The explosion was significant. The police department and its federal partners are conducting a large-scale investigation to this point,” said Don Aaron, Nashville police spokesman. “We do believe that the explosion was an intentional act,” he added.
Andrew McCabe, a former deputy FBI director, said that it was possible police were the target of the explosions given they were answering a report of a suspicious vehicle when it blew up.
Nashville police officers were at first called to a report of shots fired. There was no evidence of shots fired but police noticed a suspicious RV with no tags parked across from the Davidson County courthouse.
The bomb squad was called and as the squad responded, the RV exploded, blowing out the windows of nearby buildings and leaving extensive damage. The explosion knocked one officer to the ground. Another officer sustained temporary hearing loss.