Police said on Monday (April 3) that the shooter in last week's deadly attack at a private Christian school in Nashville, USA, which killed six people, planned it for months.&nbsp;

Police said they found journals of the 28-year-old Audrey Hale, who was a former student of the school, in the shooter's car and bedroom after the March 27 attack.&nbsp;

As quoted by US media outlets, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said that the shooter outlined plans "to commit mass murder at The Covenant School" in journals.&nbsp;

Police previously said that Hale, who was also killed during the attack, had been receiving treatment for an emotional disorder. Hale was armed with two assault rifles and a handgun when entering the small Christian academy of about 200 students in Tennessee.&nbsp;

Hale was identified by police as a female who had used male pronouns on social media. Police previously had also revealed that the shooter had maps of the school and left a manifesto that suggested more attacks were planned.&nbsp;

The investigating officers and police have not established a motive behind the attack. However, they said the shooter "considered the actions of other mass murderers".&nbsp;

As quoted by NBC News, the police department said: "The writings remain under careful review by the MNPD and the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit based in Quantico, Virginia."&nbsp;

WATCH |&nbsp;Nashville School Shooting: Demonstrators protest against gun violence in US&nbsp;

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Meanwhile, a recently approved legislation states residents in the US state of Florida will be able to carry concealed firearms without a license. The legislation was approved by the state's Republican-led Senate and supported by Governor Ron DeSantis.&nbsp;

The bill cleared the Senate on a 27-13 vote, at the state legislature in Tallahassee. When the measure becomes law, those wishing to carry a concealed weapon in public will only need personal identification, such as a driver's license.&nbsp;

Previously, people in Florida seeking such a permit were required to undergo training and a background check.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

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Police said on Monday (April 3) that the shooter in last week's deadly attack at a private Christian school in Nashville, USA, which killed six people, planned it for months.

Police said on Monday (April 3) that the shooter in last week's deadly attack at a private Christian school in Nashville, USA, which killed six people, planned it for months. Police said they found journals of the 28-year-old Audrey Hale, who was a former student of the school, in the shooter's car and bedroom after the March 27 attack. As quoted by US media outlets, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said that the shooter outlined plans "to commit mass murder at The Covenant School" in journals. Police previously said that Hale, who was also killed during the attack, had been receiving treatment for an emotional disorder. Hale was armed with two assault rifles and a handgun when entering the small Christian academy of about 200 students in Tennessee. Hale was identified by police as a female who had used male pronouns on social media. Police previously had also revealed that the shooter had maps of the school and left a manifesto that suggested more attacks were planned. The investigating officers and police have not established a motive behind the attack. However, they said the shooter "considered the actions of other mass murderers". As quoted by NBC News, the police department said: "The writings remain under careful review by the MNPD and the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit based in Quantico, Virginia." WATCH | Nashville School Shooting: Demonstrators protest against gun violence in US × Meanwhile, a recently approved legislation states residents in the US state of Florida will be able to carry concealed firearms without a license. The legislation was approved by the state's Republican-led Senate and supported by Governor Ron DeSantis. The bill cleared the Senate on a 27-13 vote, at the state legislature in Tallahassee. When the measure becomes law, those wishing to carry a concealed weapon in public will only need personal identification, such as a driver's license. Previously, people in Florida seeking such a permit were required to undergo training and a background check. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Nashville school shooting: Audrey Hale planned the attack for months, say police

A survivor of last year's Highland Park parade mass attack interrupted the television coverage of a network on Monday in the aftermath of the deadly Nashville school shooting.

A survivor of last year's Highland Park parade mass attack interrupted the television coverage of a network on Monday in the aftermath of the deadly Nashville school shooting. The woman identified as an activist named Ashbey Beasley went up to the mics and camera and demanded the lawmakers pass gun control legislation while asking if the media was not tired of covering the shootings. The Highland Park shooting took place in the US state of Illinois on July 4, 2022, and left seven people dead. Beasley said she was in Tennessee on a holiday when the shooting took place. "Aren't you guys tired of covering this?" said Beasley. "How is this still happening? How are our children still dying and why are we failing them? Gun violence is the number one killer of children and teens. It has overtaken cars." "I have been lobbying in DC since we survived a mass shooting in July. I have met with over 130 lawmakers. How is this still happening? How are our children still dying and why are we still failing them?" she added. “How is this still happening? How are our children still dying and why are we failing them?” — Ashbey Beasley, who says she survived the Highland Park mass shooting with her son last July 4th, makes a passionate case for gun control following The Covenant School mass shooting pic.twitter.com/8hiSe9FIg2 — The Recount (@therecount) March 27, 2023 × WATCH | Nashville school shooting: 3 children, 3 adults killed, shooter dead × What happened in Nashville? The authorities informed that 28-year-old Audrey Elizabeth Hale has been identified as the shooter who killed three children and adults after opening fire at The Covenant School in the Green Hills neighbourhood of Nashville. Hale, a transgender person, wearing a black vest over a white T-shirt, camouflage pants and a backward red baseball cap was armed with at least two assault weapons and a handgun when carrying out the shooting. ALSO READ | Nashville shooting Live updates | Three children among six killed; suspect fatally shot Surveillance videos released by the police show Hale wielding the weapons and shooting down glass doors to enter the building. The shooter checks out different rooms before shooting down various hallways. Nine-year-olds Evely Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, William Kinney, 61-year-old Cynthia Peak, 60-year-old Katherine Koonce, and 61-year-old Mike Hill have been identified as the victims of the attack. As per reports, the shooter left behind a map and a manifesto relating to the attack. The items were revealed upon a search of the suspect's house. WATCH | Nashville shooting suspect seen driving down to school, shooting down doors (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

'Aren't you guys tired..': Survivor questions after deadly Nashville shooting

The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) have identified the 28-year-old shooter who mercilessly killed six people, including three children, at a school in Nashville.

The assailant was identified as Audrey Elizabeth Hale, a trans person and an alumnus of The Covenant School, a Christian academy.

According to the police, on Monday morning, Hale, armed with at least two assault rifles and a handgun, entered the school from a side entrance and allegedly fired multiple shots through the entrance as he was advancing through the building.

After 14 minutes of the onslaught, Hale was later shot dead by two cops at 10.27 am (local time).

Chief of Police John Drake said that they found a manifesto and maps of the school which had extensive details on entry-exit points and surveillance.

The suspect was "prepared for a confrontation with law enforcement," the police chief told reporters.

Speaking to NBC News, Drake said that the school shooter was likely plotting a broader attack, as the manifesto "indicates that there was going to be shootings at multiple locations, and the school was one of them."

As horrifying details of the school violence emerge and police try to find the motive, here’s what it has been revealed about the killer.

Who was Audrey Elizabeth Hale?

According to police, Hale identified as a trans person. The shooter was biologically a woman but identified as a man. In such cases, a person is referred to with they/them/their pronouns.

Hale worked as a commercial illustrator and graphic designer who posted their creations online. They once worked on a children’s book about a support dog, according to a LinkedIn page.

Hale attended Nossi College of Art in Nashville, and most recently worked part-time as a grocery shopper for Shipt, according to LinkedIn.On their website, Hale described themselves as enjoying “binging on video games, watching movies, and playing sports.”

When Chief of Police John Drake was asked whether Hale’s identity was the motive behind the killing, he said, “There is some theory to that, we’re investigating all the leads.”

He later told NBC News that investigators believed that the shooting stemmed from "some resentment" Hale had "for having to go to that school" when they were younger.

However, he clarified that police are yet to find a definitive motive, and their initial assessment of Hale’s identity could not be the sole reason.

What kind of weapons did Hale use?

According to police, Hale was armed with an AR-style rifle, an AR-style pistol, and a handgun. He used the guns to shoot through a locked side entrance to the school.

“Two of the guns were obtained legally, locally here,” Drake said.

How did Hale’s family react?

US media reported that the shooter’s mother, Norma Fort Hale, works at at The Village Chapel, a Nashville church.

She had previously posted on social media after school shootings and called for more gun control.

She even shared links on Facebook to a Sandy Hook Promise petition to “keep guns out of schools,” calling the pledge “so important,” according to the Independent newspaper.

Speaking to ABC News reporter, she said, “It’s very difficult now, we ask for privacy. I really can’t talk right now, I think I lost my daughter today.”

The police are questioning the shooter's father.

What did&nbsp;the neighbours and family members say?

Hours after the shooting, police searched a home just three miles away from the school. A neighbour, Sandy Durham, who is also a family friend of the Hales, told The Daily Beast that the ATF were there “to see what was going on next door [at the Hale house].”

“I do know Audrey, I’ve known her since she was a baby. I had just gotten out of the shower when all of this started happening. I didn’t really know anything more than that. Something was going on next door. It’s just tragic for everybody. The sweet children that were hurt, killed, the adults. All of it,” she was quoted as saying.

Asked if there were any warning signs about Hale, Durham responded, “Never. She was very sweet. I don’t know what happened. It’s very scary.”

Another neighbour described Hale as a “normal, nice person. Maybe a little quiet.”

“If I had to imagine, Audrey’s parents are probably just as shocked as everybody in the neighbourhood is… It just doesn’t seem real,” Sean, who goes by his first name told The Daily beast.

He said that he could not believe that Hale was capable of harming anyone and that their family never even had access to a gun before.

“They just don’t seem like the family that, like, is around guns. They’re not talking about going to a gun range or they’re not going hunting.”

However, a&nbsp;source close to the Hale family in an interview to The Daily Beast described the shooter as an "autistic, but high-functioning" individual. The identity of the source was not revealed as they wanted to&nbsp;avoid additional family strife.

What will happen next?

The Metro Nashville Police Department is currently probing the shooting incident, with assistance from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

(With inputs from agencies)

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The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) have identified the 28-year-old shooter who mercilessly killed six people, including three children, at a school in Nashville.

The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) have identified the 28-year-old shooter who mercilessly killed six people, including three children, at a school in Nashville. The assailant was identified as Audrey Elizabeth Hale, a trans person and an alumnus of The Covenant School, a Christian academy. According to the police, on Monday morning, Hale, armed with at least two assault rifles and a handgun, entered the school from a side entrance and allegedly fired multiple shots through the entrance as he was advancing through the building. After 14 minutes of the onslaught, Hale was later shot dead by two cops at 10.27 am (local time). Chief of Police John Drake said that they found a manifesto and maps of the school which had extensive details on entry-exit points and surveillance. The suspect was "prepared for a confrontation with law enforcement," the police chief told reporters. Speaking to NBC News, Drake said that the school shooter was likely plotting a broader attack, as the manifesto "indicates that there was going to be shootings at multiple locations, and the school was one of them." As horrifying details of the school violence emerge and police try to find the motive, here’s what it has been revealed about the killer. Who was Audrey Elizabeth Hale? According to police, Hale identified as a trans person. The shooter was biologically a woman but identified as a man. In such cases, a person is referred to with they/them/their pronouns. Hale worked as a commercial illustrator and graphic designer who posted their creations online. They once worked on a children’s book about a support dog, according to a LinkedIn page. Hale attended Nossi College of Art in Nashville, and most recently worked part-time as a grocery shopper for Shipt, according to LinkedIn.On their website, Hale described themselves as enjoying “binging on video games, watching movies, and playing sports.” When Chief of Police John Drake was asked whether Hale’s identity was the motive behind the killing, he said, “There is some theory to that, we’re investigating all the leads.” He later told NBC News that investigators believed that the shooting stemmed from "some resentment" Hale had "for having to go to that school" when they were younger. However, he clarified that police are yet to find a definitive motive, and their initial assessment of Hale’s identity could not be the sole reason. What kind of weapons did Hale use? According to police, Hale was armed with an AR-style rifle, an AR-style pistol, and a handgun. He used the guns to shoot through a locked side entrance to the school. “Two of the guns were obtained legally, locally here,” Drake said. How did Hale’s family react? US media reported that the shooter’s mother, Norma Fort Hale, works at at The Village Chapel, a Nashville church. She had previously posted on social media after school shootings and called for more gun control. She even shared links on Facebook to a Sandy Hook Promise petition to “keep guns out of schools,” calling the pledge “so important,” according to the Independent newspaper. Speaking to ABC News reporter, she said, “It’s very difficult now, we ask for privacy. I really can’t talk right now, I think I lost my daughter today.” The police are questioning the shooter's father. What did the neighbours and family members say? Hours after the shooting, police searched a home just three miles away from the school. A neighbour, Sandy Durham, who is also a family friend of the Hales, told The Daily Beast that the ATF were there “to see what was going on next door [at the Hale house].” “I do know Audrey, I’ve known her since she was a baby. I had just gotten out of the shower when all of this started happening. I didn’t really know anything more than that. Something was going on next door. It’s just tragic for everybody. The sweet children that were hurt, killed, the adults. All of it,” she was quoted as saying. Asked if there were any warning signs about Hale, Durham responded, “Never. She was very sweet. I don’t know what happened. It’s very scary.” Another neighbour described Hale as a “normal, nice person. Maybe a little quiet.” “If I had to imagine, Audrey’s parents are probably just as shocked as everybody in the neighbourhood is… It just doesn’t seem real,” Sean, who goes by his first name told The Daily beast. He said that he could not believe that Hale was capable of harming anyone and that their family never even had access to a gun before. “They just don’t seem like the family that, like, is around guns. They’re not talking about going to a gun range or they’re not going hunting.” However, a source close to the Hale family in an interview to The Daily Beast described the shooter as an "autistic, but high-functioning" individual. The identity of the source was not revealed as they wanted to avoid additional family strife. What will happen next? The Metro Nashville Police Department is currently probing the shooting incident, with assistance from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Explained | Who is Audrey Hale, the shooter who killed six at Nashville school

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Crystal Deck was opening presents on Christmas morning at her brother’s home when she heard the news that an enormous explosion had ripped through the historic heart of Nashville.

She knew instantly that the bomber was her dearest friend, Anthony Q. Warner, and quickly began fitting together clues that he had dropped, including a series of peculiar episodes she had dismissed as inconsequential, but which proved to be central to his suicidal plot.

Deck had, weeks earlier, found him fiddling with a prerecorded female voice on his laptop. And he had played her the 1964 Petula Clark hit “Downtown,” praising the song’s “significant spirit.” Both became eerie elements of the bombing.

Warner had even cautioned her that he was hatching something that would bring the police to her door, yet until that moment she had not understood the magnitude of his plan.

“I had just texted him ‘Merry Christmas!’” she said, crying at the memory.

Though Warner’s motive remains shrouded, false information and outlandish tales had poisoned his mind, apparently driving him to spectacular violence. This mindset has become alarmingly familiar to law enforcement officials now reckoning with the destructive force of conspiracy theories that mutate endlessly online and played a role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Warner, who was 63 when he died, was not among the angry QAnon followers who came to believe the unlikely theory that Donald Trump would hold onto power and defeat a satanic cabal. He was a computer specialist with a deep distrust of government, according to his own writings and to those who knew him. A loner, he had made at least one female friend feel manipulated and frightened. And he had cultivated a bizarre obsession with shape-shifting alien lizards and a dense thicket of other peculiar ideas.

As Warner’s best friend in his final months, Deck believes that some combination of a fatal cancer diagnosis salted with a belief in conspiracy theories led Warner to kill himself in such a brutally spectacular manner.

“He was trying to escape,” said Deck, who is not considered a suspect. “He talked about going out on his own terms.”

Warner, authorities said, drove his booby-trapped white recreational vehicle to Second Avenue North in the predawn hours. The detonation damaged some 50 buildings, collapsing a few and shearing the antique brick facades off others that will require years and tens of millions of dollars to restore. Two months later, the blast area remains a confused, desolate patchwork of boarded-up buildings, chain-link fencing and uneven reconstruction efforts.

The explosion, in front of an AT&amp;T hub, crippled cellular, internet and cable service across several states for two days and underscored the vulnerability of such common yet unprotected facilities.

The FBI and other federal and local law enforcement agencies investigating the bombing have not made any findings public, although officials said they expect a report by early March.

Whatever else might have been on Warner’s mind in the period leading up to his death, he had been fixated for years on the notion that alien reptiles who inhabited underground tunnels controlled the earth, a fantasy spread by a notorious British serial conspiracy theorist. The giant lizards, Warner said, appeared among us as humans.

By the summer of 2019, he was making a friend, Pamela Perry, increasingly anxious, according to Raymond Throckmorton III, a Nashville lawyer who had represented both Perry and Warner on various matters.

“Pam Perry had had numerous contacts with me where she was just emotionally distraught and had been just really whipped into a frenzy of emotion by apparently crazy things or threatening or unusual things that Tony had said to her,” Throckmorton said. “I think he just sensed that she was at a weak point in her life and it was somebody he could dominate, manipulate or control.”

In August 2019, Perry told police that she believed Warner was building bombs in the RV parked outside his house on Bakertown Lane, and Throckmorton told the police that Warner that was capable of building explosives. Officers went to his home but neither the Nashville police nor the FBI pursued an investigation. A police and municipal review committee is now scrutinizing why.

Perry, through lawyers, declined to comment.

Deck, 44, first met Warner several months later, when he came into the South Nashville Waffle House where she worked. “The first time I met him, I just thought his cornbread wasn’t really done in the middle and he was off a little bit,” she said.

She described two distinct sides to him.

There was the man who spent countless hours glued to his computer, steeping himself in eccentric plots.

But there was also the man who fixed the windshield wipers on her Nissan pickup, repaired her computer, paid the tab for dozens of other diners at the Waffle House and took her Yorkie, Bubba, for walks in the park.

But when Deck began frequenting Warner’s two-bedroom duplex in the Antioch area of Nashville, he told her that no one had visited for 20 years. His distrust of the government dated to roughly the same period, as he subscribed to the 9/11 conspiracy theory that it was an inside job rather than an al-Qaida terrorist attack.

It seemed to Deck he started on the path that led him to downtown Nashville at least 20 years ago. “He kept saying, ‘9/11 is what did it for me’,” she said.

Warner grew up in Nashville, attending local Catholic schools. He served two years in the Navy, in the mid-1970s. He never mentioned his family except for a dead brother, Deck said. His mother and sister declined to be interviewed.

Tom Lundborg, 57, who runs a Nashville-based electronic security firm, said he first met Warner years ago when Warner was working as a technician for the company, then run by Lundborg’s parents. Warner, in his 20s, owned a beautiful car and was dating his own cousin, Lundborg recalled.

“He was a really nice-looking guy back then,” Lundborg said. “He had long fluffy hair, a ‘Magnum, P.I.’-.type mustache. Girls liked him.”

Warner soon left to set up his own alarm business and took a client with him, Lundborg said, leaving his parents feeling exploited.

He tangled, too, with his own family, becoming embroiled in a court battle with his elderly mother in 2019, for example, after trying to give away his late brother’s house, where she lived.

In recent years he earned money through freelance IT work for local businesses, including answering service calls. “He was real proud of his computer skills,” Deck said. “He loved how smart he was.”

Warner also camped regularly in Montgomery Bell State Park, west of Nashville, a pastime that fed his conspiracy obsessions — he considered the park to be prime ground for hunting alien reptilians.

He described struggling to spot them with an infrared device, believing they could adjust their body temperature to the surrounding environment, and warned that bullets would just bounce off. “If you try to hunt one, you will find that you are the one being hunted,” he wrote.

Warner composed countless essays that he printed out or loaded onto flash drives, distributing them to Deck and other friends and acquaintances.

American conspiracy theories that attract a wide audience tend to be built around historic events like the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, while the notion of shape-shifting lizards remains obscure.

The idea gained adherents in the late 1990s after an infamous British conspiracy theorist, David Icke, wrote about it, accusing Queen Elizabeth II, the Bush dynasty and the Rothschilds of being reptilians. He organized seminars that ended with participants trying to dance away the “lizard power,” said Joseph Uscinski, a professor at the University of Miami and co-author of a book called “American Conspiracy Theories.”

Now, in retrospect, Deck dredges her memory for clues of what was to come.

By the time she met him, Warner was clearly preparing for a transition. He had largely emptied his house, save for an air mattress and a computer in the living room.

He hinted that he had been diagnosed with cancer, but she did not pry.

In early December, he sent a letter to his IT clients, telling them that he was retiring. He deeded his house to the daughter of a former girlfriend. Deck saw him last on Dec. 17, when he showed up at the Waffle House to give her his car, a white 2007 Pontiac Vibe, along with the jacket and gloves he used to wear when he walked her dog.

He implied that he had little time left.

On Christmas morning, surveillance camera footage released by the Nashville Metro Police showed that Warner drove his RV downtown at 1:22 a.m. He parked on a tree-lined street filled with Victorian-era red brick warehouses and some new buildings housing restaurants, condominiums and souvenir stores. It runs perpendicular to Broadway, known for its brightly lit honky-tonks and live music, the main draw for tourists.

Several residents, awakened around 4:30 a.m. by what sounded like loud, rapid bursts of gunfire, phoned the police. The officers who responded found no indication of shots fired, and Deck said that Warner used gunfire noises as a ring tone on his cellphone.

He apparently used the sound that morning to attract attention, because a computerized, female voice — the voice Deck had heard him manipulating weeks earlier — soon began emanating from the vehicle, saying, “Stay clear of this vehicle, evacuate now. Do not approach this vehicle!” The police evacuated as many residents as they could.

The voice, more insistent, announced that the vehicle would detonate. It began a 15-minute countdown, interspersed with continued warnings to evacuate as well as snippets from the song “Downtown.”

&lt;em&gt;“When you’re alone and life is making you lonely, you can always go downtown.”&lt;/em&gt;

At 6:30 a.m., surveillance video showed, a giant fireball erupted around the RV and the resulting concussion rocked the neighborhood. Already largely deserted on a holiday morning amid a pandemic, its scattered residents managed to flee before the explosion.

Warner was the only person killed.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Crystal Deck was opening presents on Christmas morning at her brother’s home when she heard the news that an enormous explosion had ripped through the historic heart of Nashville.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Crystal Deck was opening presents on Christmas morning at her brother’s home when she heard the news that an enormous explosion had ripped through the historic heart of Nashville. She knew instantly that the bomber was her dearest friend, Anthony Q. Warner, and quickly began fitting together clues that he had dropped, including a series of peculiar episodes she had dismissed as inconsequential, but which proved to be central to his suicidal plot. Deck had, weeks earlier, found him fiddling with a prerecorded female voice on his laptop. And he had played her the 1964 Petula Clark hit “Downtown,” praising the song’s “significant spirit.” Both became eerie elements of the bombing. Warner had even cautioned her that he was hatching something that would bring the police to her door, yet until that moment she had not understood the magnitude of his plan. “I had just texted him ‘Merry Christmas!’” she said, crying at the memory. Though Warner’s motive remains shrouded, false information and outlandish tales had poisoned his mind, apparently driving him to spectacular violence. This mindset has become alarmingly familiar to law enforcement officials now reckoning with the destructive force of conspiracy theories that mutate endlessly online and played a role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Warner, who was 63 when he died, was not among the angry QAnon followers who came to believe the unlikely theory that Donald Trump would hold onto power and defeat a satanic cabal. He was a computer specialist with a deep distrust of government, according to his own writings and to those who knew him. A loner, he had made at least one female friend feel manipulated and frightened. And he had cultivated a bizarre obsession with shape-shifting alien lizards and a dense thicket of other peculiar ideas. As Warner’s best friend in his final months, Deck believes that some combination of a fatal cancer diagnosis salted with a belief in conspiracy theories led Warner to kill himself in such a brutally spectacular manner. “He was trying to escape,” said Deck, who is not considered a suspect. “He talked about going out on his own terms.” Warner, authorities said, drove his booby-trapped white recreational vehicle to Second Avenue North in the predawn hours. The detonation damaged some 50 buildings, collapsing a few and shearing the antique brick facades off others that will require years and tens of millions of dollars to restore. Two months later, the blast area remains a confused, desolate patchwork of boarded-up buildings, chain-link fencing and uneven reconstruction efforts. The explosion, in front of an AT&T hub, crippled cellular, internet and cable service across several states for two days and underscored the vulnerability of such common yet unprotected facilities. The FBI and other federal and local law enforcement agencies investigating the bombing have not made any findings public, although officials said they expect a report by early March. Whatever else might have been on Warner’s mind in the period leading up to his death, he had been fixated for years on the notion that alien reptiles who inhabited underground tunnels controlled the earth, a fantasy spread by a notorious British serial conspiracy theorist. The giant lizards, Warner said, appeared among us as humans. By the summer of 2019, he was making a friend, Pamela Perry, increasingly anxious, according to Raymond Throckmorton III, a Nashville lawyer who had represented both Perry and Warner on various matters. “Pam Perry had had numerous contacts with me where she was just emotionally distraught and had been just really whipped into a frenzy of emotion by apparently crazy things or threatening or unusual things that Tony had said to her,” Throckmorton said. “I think he just sensed that she was at a weak point in her life and it was somebody he could dominate, manipulate or control.” In August 2019, Perry told police that she believed Warner was building bombs in the RV parked outside his house on Bakertown Lane, and Throckmorton told the police that Warner that was capable of building explosives. Officers went to his home but neither the Nashville police nor the FBI pursued an investigation. A police and municipal review committee is now scrutinizing why. Perry, through lawyers, declined to comment. Deck, 44, first met Warner several months later, when he came into the South Nashville Waffle House where she worked. “The first time I met him, I just thought his cornbread wasn’t really done in the middle and he was off a little bit,” she said. She described two distinct sides to him. There was the man who spent countless hours glued to his computer, steeping himself in eccentric plots. But there was also the man who fixed the windshield wipers on her Nissan pickup, repaired her computer, paid the tab for dozens of other diners at the Waffle House and took her Yorkie, Bubba, for walks in the park. But when Deck began frequenting Warner’s two-bedroom duplex in the Antioch area of Nashville, he told her that no one had visited for 20 years. His distrust of the government dated to roughly the same period, as he subscribed to the 9/11 conspiracy theory that it was an inside job rather than an al-Qaida terrorist attack. It seemed to Deck he started on the path that led him to downtown Nashville at least 20 years ago. “He kept saying, ‘9/11 is what did it for me’,” she said. Warner grew up in Nashville, attending local Catholic schools. He served two years in the Navy, in the mid-1970s. He never mentioned his family except for a dead brother, Deck said. His mother and sister declined to be interviewed. Tom Lundborg, 57, who runs a Nashville-based electronic security firm, said he first met Warner years ago when Warner was working as a technician for the company, then run by Lundborg’s parents. Warner, in his 20s, owned a beautiful car and was dating his own cousin, Lundborg recalled. “He was a really nice-looking guy back then,” Lundborg said. “He had long fluffy hair, a ‘Magnum, P.I.’-.type mustache. Girls liked him.” Warner soon left to set up his own alarm business and took a client with him, Lundborg said, leaving his parents feeling exploited. He tangled, too, with his own family, becoming embroiled in a court battle with his elderly mother in 2019, for example, after trying to give away his late brother’s house, where she lived. In recent years he earned money through freelance IT work for local businesses, including answering service calls. “He was real proud of his computer skills,” Deck said. “He loved how smart he was.” Warner also camped regularly in Montgomery Bell State Park, west of Nashville, a pastime that fed his conspiracy obsessions — he considered the park to be prime ground for hunting alien reptilians. He described struggling to spot them with an infrared device, believing they could adjust their body temperature to the surrounding environment, and warned that bullets would just bounce off. “If you try to hunt one, you will find that you are the one being hunted,” he wrote. Warner composed countless essays that he printed out or loaded onto flash drives, distributing them to Deck and other friends and acquaintances. American conspiracy theories that attract a wide audience tend to be built around historic events like the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, while the notion of shape-shifting lizards remains obscure. The idea gained adherents in the late 1990s after an infamous British conspiracy theorist, David Icke, wrote about it, accusing Queen Elizabeth II, the Bush dynasty and the Rothschilds of being reptilians. He organized seminars that ended with participants trying to dance away the “lizard power,” said Joseph Uscinski, a professor at the University of Miami and co-author of a book called “American Conspiracy Theories.” Now, in retrospect, Deck dredges her memory for clues of what was to come. By the time she met him, Warner was clearly preparing for a transition. He had largely emptied his house, save for an air mattress and a computer in the living room. He hinted that he had been diagnosed with cancer, but she did not pry. In early December, he sent a letter to his IT clients, telling them that he was retiring. He deeded his house to the daughter of a former girlfriend. Deck saw him last on Dec. 17, when he showed up at the Waffle House to give her his car, a white 2007 Pontiac Vibe, along with the jacket and gloves he used to wear when he walked her dog. He implied that he had little time left. On Christmas morning, surveillance camera footage released by the Nashville Metro Police showed that Warner drove his RV downtown at 1:22 a.m. He parked on a tree-lined street filled with Victorian-era red brick warehouses and some new buildings housing restaurants, condominiums and souvenir stores. It runs perpendicular to Broadway, known for its brightly lit honky-tonks and live music, the main draw for tourists. Several residents, awakened around 4:30 a.m. by what sounded like loud, rapid bursts of gunfire, phoned the police. The officers who responded found no indication of shots fired, and Deck said that Warner used gunfire noises as a ring tone on his cellphone. He apparently used the sound that morning to attract attention, because a computerized, female voice — the voice Deck had heard him manipulating weeks earlier — soon began emanating from the vehicle, saying, “Stay clear of this vehicle, evacuate now. Do not approach this vehicle!” The police evacuated as many residents as they could. The voice, more insistent, announced that the vehicle would detonate. It began a 15-minute countdown, interspersed with continued warnings to evacuate as well as snippets from the song “Downtown.” “When you’re alone and life is making you lonely, you can always go downtown.” At 6:30 a.m., surveillance video showed, a giant fireball erupted around the RV and the resulting concussion rocked the neighborhood. Already largely deserted on a holiday morning amid a pandemic, its scattered residents managed to flee before the explosion. Warner was the only person killed.

Behind the Nashville bombing, a conspiracy theorist stewing about the government

The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Monday has&nbsp;uncovered evidence suggesting the suspected bomber believed in aliens and lizard people, according to a senior law enforcement source.

A man received a package on New Year's Day by the prime suspect&nbsp;Anthony Warmer,&nbsp;postmarked two days before the blast, containing at least nine typed pages and two thumb drives, as per&nbsp;News Channel 5&nbsp;Nashville.

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In a note inside the package, Warmer said&nbsp;"The knowledge I have gained is immeasurable. I now understand everything, and I mean everything from who/what we really are, to what the known universe really is."

While the package did not have a return address, the contents of the letter referenced various conspiracy theories, including that aliens have launched attacks on earth, which indicated it was likely from Warner.

Warner's writings also indicate he believed reptilians and lizard people controlled the earth and had altered human DNA.

Calling on anyone who had received such packages to contact the FBI,&nbsp;Special Agent Jason Pack said in a statement "We're aware the suspect sent materials which espoused his viewpoints to several acquaintances throughout the country."

The bombing took place in the early morning when there was little activity in the city, and an automated message emanating from the vehicle warning of a bomb allowed the police to evacuate people. More than 40 businesses were damaged in the explosion. Warner is the only known death.

In addition to the warning, the audio on Warner's recreational vehicle played a recording of Petula Clark's 1964 hit "Downtown" before the blast.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Monday has uncovered evidence suggesting the suspected bomber believed in aliens and lizard people, according to a senior law enforcement source.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Monday has uncovered evidence suggesting the suspected bomber believed in aliens and lizard people, according to a senior law enforcement source. A man received a package on New Year's Day by the prime suspect Anthony Warmer, postmarked two days before the blast, containing at least nine typed pages and two thumb drives, as per News Channel 5 Nashville. In a note inside the package, Warmer said "The knowledge I have gained is immeasurable. I now understand everything, and I mean everything from who/what we really are, to what the known universe really is." While the package did not have a return address, the contents of the letter referenced various conspiracy theories, including that aliens have launched attacks on earth, which indicated it was likely from Warner. Warner's writings also indicate he believed reptilians and lizard people controlled the earth and had altered human DNA. Calling on anyone who had received such packages to contact the FBI, Special Agent Jason Pack said in a statement "We're aware the suspect sent materials which espoused his viewpoints to several acquaintances throughout the country." The bombing took place in the early morning when there was little activity in the city, and an automated message emanating from the vehicle warning of a bomb allowed the police to evacuate people. More than 40 businesses were damaged in the explosion. Warner is the only known death. In addition to the warning, the audio on Warner's recreational vehicle played a recording of Petula Clark's 1964 hit "Downtown" before the blast.

Nashville bomber's bizarre writings reveal he believed in lizard people, aliens

A girlfriend of the man who the authorities say set off a bomb in downtown Nashville on Christmas had called police officers to his home last year, claiming that he had been making bombs in the RV parked there, according to a police incident report.

A lawyer for the girlfriend, according to the document filed with the Metro Nashville Police Department, told police officers that her boyfriend, Anthony Warner, “frequently talks about the military and bomb making.” The call to the police was reported on Tuesday by The Tennessean and WTVF-TV, a Nashville station.

The girlfriend met with the officers at her home on Aug. 21, 2019, according to the report and a later statement from the police. Officers then went to Warner’s home, a two-bedroom duplex in the Antioch area of Nashville.

The officers knocked on the door but “did not receive an answer,” according to the report, which was obtained by The New York Times. The RV, which has been identified by state and federal officials as the one that exploded in downtown Nashville, injuring three and disrupting telecommunications in the region, was parked behind a fence. Officers wrote that they observed “several security cameras and wires attached to an alarm sign on the front door.”

The report, dated Aug. 21, noted that the officers who responded to the call had notified their superiors within the Police Department. Efforts on Tuesday night to reach the lawyer who represented the girlfriend were unsuccessful.

A spokesman for the Police Department, Don Aaron, said in a statement that the police “saw no evidence of a crime and had no authority to enter his home or fenced property.”

Aaron said that the police had forwarded the incident report and Warner’s information to the FBI. The police statement said the FBI had “found no records on Warner at all.” The girlfriend’s lawyer also represented Warner, according to the police, and the lawyer later told police officers that he would “not allow his client to permit a visual inspection of the R.V.”

In a news conference before Tuesday’s revelations, law enforcement officials said Warner had not had their attention before the attack. His record had just one arrest: a 1978 marijuana possession charge, when he was 21.

“He was not on our radar,” David B. Rausch, the director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, had said. “He was not someone that was identified as a person of interest for the bureau. So we were not familiar with this individual until this incident.”

Warner, 63, was an information technology specialist who had worked for several area businesses, and one of his former clients said Warner had sent an email this month saying that he was retiring. He signed away his home, and he gave his car to someone he told that he had cancer, according to law enforcement officials.

The authorities said that at roughly 1:22 a.m. on Christmas, Warner drove his RV, which had been packed with explosives, onto Second Avenue North in downtown Nashville.

Police officers responding to a call of gunfire around dawn found the RV as a speaker blared a message warning that explosives were inside and that people needed to evacuate.

The blast ripped across several blocks of downtown, causing one building to collapse, damaging dozens of others and starting fires and flooding in an AT&amp;T transmission facility that ultimately led to widespread outages in communications services — for 911 centers, hospitals, businesses and residents — across the region.

No one other than Warner was killed by the bombing, officials said. He emerged quickly as a person of interest after investigators located the vehicle identification number for the RV, and on Saturday, federal agents searched the home that Nashville officers had once visited.

A girlfriend of the man who the authorities say set off a bomb in downtown Nashville on Christmas had called police officers to his home last year, claiming that he had been making bombs in the RV parked there, according to a police incident report.

A girlfriend of the man who the authorities say set off a bomb in downtown Nashville on Christmas had called police officers to his home last year, claiming that he had been making bombs in the RV parked there, according to a police incident report. A lawyer for the girlfriend, according to the document filed with the Metro Nashville Police Department, told police officers that her boyfriend, Anthony Warner, “frequently talks about the military and bomb making.” The call to the police was reported on Tuesday by The Tennessean and WTVF-TV, a Nashville station. The girlfriend met with the officers at her home on Aug. 21, 2019, according to the report and a later statement from the police. Officers then went to Warner’s home, a two-bedroom duplex in the Antioch area of Nashville. The officers knocked on the door but “did not receive an answer,” according to the report, which was obtained by The New York Times. The RV, which has been identified by state and federal officials as the one that exploded in downtown Nashville, injuring three and disrupting telecommunications in the region, was parked behind a fence. Officers wrote that they observed “several security cameras and wires attached to an alarm sign on the front door.” The report, dated Aug. 21, noted that the officers who responded to the call had notified their superiors within the Police Department. Efforts on Tuesday night to reach the lawyer who represented the girlfriend were unsuccessful. A spokesman for the Police Department, Don Aaron, said in a statement that the police “saw no evidence of a crime and had no authority to enter his home or fenced property.” Aaron said that the police had forwarded the incident report and Warner’s information to the FBI. The police statement said the FBI had “found no records on Warner at all.” The girlfriend’s lawyer also represented Warner, according to the police, and the lawyer later told police officers that he would “not allow his client to permit a visual inspection of the R.V.” In a news conference before Tuesday’s revelations, law enforcement officials said Warner had not had their attention before the attack. His record had just one arrest: a 1978 marijuana possession charge, when he was 21. “He was not on our radar,” David B. Rausch, the director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, had said. “He was not someone that was identified as a person of interest for the bureau. So we were not familiar with this individual until this incident.” Warner, 63, was an information technology specialist who had worked for several area businesses, and one of his former clients said Warner had sent an email this month saying that he was retiring. He signed away his home, and he gave his car to someone he told that he had cancer, according to law enforcement officials. The authorities said that at roughly 1:22 a.m. on Christmas, Warner drove his RV, which had been packed with explosives, onto Second Avenue North in downtown Nashville. Police officers responding to a call of gunfire around dawn found the RV as a speaker blared a message warning that explosives were inside and that people needed to evacuate. The blast ripped across several blocks of downtown, causing one building to collapse, damaging dozens of others and starting fires and flooding in an AT&T transmission facility that ultimately led to widespread outages in communications services — for 911 centers, hospitals, businesses and residents — across the region. No one other than Warner was killed by the bombing, officials said. He emerged quickly as a person of interest after investigators located the vehicle identification number for the RV, and on Saturday, federal agents searched the home that Nashville officers had once visited.

Nashville suspect’s girlfriend told police he was making bombs, report says

The Nashville Blast was straight out of a crime thriller. The suspect quit his job, lied to his girlfriend, gave his house for free to another woman, then blew himself up after playing a countdown and a classic song. Palki Sharma Upadhyay brings you a report

Gravitas: Nashville Explosion

A 63-year-old man - Anthony Quinn Warner is the man reportedly responsible for the bomb blast that led to his death, injured three others, and caused damage to buildings. In conversation with The Associated Press, Warner's neighbour Rick Laude claimed that during a conversation with the suspect, he had once claimed that the world would never forget him. Little did he know about the sinister plans behind the fame.

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On Christmas morning, a bomb detonated in downtown Nashville, at the behest of Warner. A week before the terror attack, he was speaking to Laude, and as reported by AP, he had asked Warner whether Santa was going to bring him "anything good'' for Christmas.

As claimed by Laude, he responded affirmatively, while adding that the ''world is never going to forget me''.

Laude further told AP that he did not read too much into the remark, and believed that ''something good'' was going to come his way financially while adding that ''nothing about this guy raised any red flags''.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/nashville-blast-suspect-died-in-explosion-police-say-352827" hreflang="en">Nashville blast suspect died in explosion, police say</a> 
 
Currently, investigators are analysing Warner's belongings to ascertain the motive behind the bombing. They have found a computer, a hard drive, and are currently interviewing witnesses to understand why he did what he did.

According to officials, a review of transactions revealed that potential bomb-making paraphernalia was bought by him.

The parked motor home exploded in downtown Nashville at dawn on Friday morning, blasted minutes after a recorded announcement emanating from the vehicle warned of a bomb.

Police have hence concluded it was an "intentional act" that injured at least three people.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/nashville-bomb-probe-leads-us-investigators-to-500-leads-suicide-bombing-suspected-352634" hreflang="en">Nashville bomb probe leads US investigators to 500 leads, suicide bombing suspected</a> 
 
The powerful explosion shattered windows and ripped apart trees, wounding several people when it detonated at 6:30 am in a section of the southern US city that was largely deserted due the early hour and the Christmas Day holiday. 
 
In a dramatic sequence of events that shattered the Christmas morning calm, police rushed to the area after getting reports of gunshots and noticed the vehicle as they arrived on the scene.

A recorded message playing from the motorhome warned that a bomb would detonate within 15 minutes - enough time for a bomb squad to clear the area before the explosion, Drake and police spokesman Don Aaron told reporters earlier Friday.

Witnesses told the Tennessean newspaper the warning, spoken in a woman's voice, counted down to the blast.

The message, reportedly said: "This area must be evacuated now. This area must be evacuated now. If you can hear this message, evacuate now. If you can hear this message, evacuate now."

A 63-year-old man - Anthony Quinn Warner is the man reportedly responsible for the bomb blast that led to his death, injured three others, and caused damage to buildings.

A 63-year-old man - Anthony Quinn Warner is the man reportedly responsible for the bomb blast that led to his death, injured three others, and caused damage to buildings. In conversation with The Associated Press, Warner's neighbour Rick Laude claimed that during a conversation with the suspect, he had once claimed that the world would never forget him. Little did he know about the sinister plans behind the fame. On Christmas morning, a bomb detonated in downtown Nashville, at the behest of Warner. A week before the terror attack, he was speaking to Laude, and as reported by AP, he had asked Warner whether Santa was going to bring him "anything good'' for Christmas. As claimed by Laude, he responded affirmatively, while adding that the ''world is never going to forget me''. Laude further told AP that he did not read too much into the remark, and believed that ''something good'' was going to come his way financially while adding that ''nothing about this guy raised any red flags''. Also read: Nashville blast suspect died in explosion, police say Currently, investigators are analysing Warner's belongings to ascertain the motive behind the bombing. They have found a computer, a hard drive, and are currently interviewing witnesses to understand why he did what he did. According to officials, a review of transactions revealed that potential bomb-making paraphernalia was bought by him. The parked motor home exploded in downtown Nashville at dawn on Friday morning, blasted minutes after a recorded announcement emanating from the vehicle warned of a bomb. Police have hence concluded it was an "intentional act" that injured at least three people. Also read: Nashville bomb probe leads US investigators to 500 leads, suicide bombing suspected The powerful explosion shattered windows and ripped apart trees, wounding several people when it detonated at 6:30 am in a section of the southern US city that was largely deserted due the early hour and the Christmas Day holiday. In a dramatic sequence of events that shattered the Christmas morning calm, police rushed to the area after getting reports of gunshots and noticed the vehicle as they arrived on the scene. A recorded message playing from the motorhome warned that a bomb would detonate within 15 minutes - enough time for a bomb squad to clear the area before the explosion, Drake and police spokesman Don Aaron told reporters earlier Friday. Witnesses told the Tennessean newspaper the warning, spoken in a woman's voice, counted down to the blast. The message, reportedly said: "This area must be evacuated now. This area must be evacuated now. If you can hear this message, evacuate now. If you can hear this message, evacuate now."

World is never going to forget me, Nashville bomber told neighbour before explosion

A parked motor home exploded in downtown Nashville on Christmas morning in what police described as an "intentional act," and fire officials reported taking three people to hospital but none were critically injured.

Vehicle explodes in downtown Nashville, police call it an 'intentional act'

Police and federal agents in Nashville sought clues on Saturday to determine how and why a motor home was blown to pieces in an apparent bombing on Christmas Day that injured three people and damaged dozens of buildings in the heart of America's country music capital.

Police search for clues to mysterious motor home blast in Nashville

The parked motor home, which exploded in downtown Nashville at dawn on Friday morning, blasted minutes after a recorded announcement emanating from the vehicle warned of a bomb.

Police has hence concluded it was an "intentional act" that injured at least three people.

It was uncertain whether anyone was inside the recreational vehicle when it exploded on Christmas morning, but police reported hours later that investigators had found possible human remains near the site.

The powerful explosion shattered windows and ripped apart trees, wounding several people when it detonated at 6:30 am (1230 GMT) in a section of the southern US city that was largely deserted due the early hour and the Christmas Day holiday.

Police chief John Drake told reporters there were no confirmed fatalities, but authorities were examining tissue found at the blast site that they believe could be human remains.

In a dramatic sequence of events that shattered the Christmas morning calm, police rushed to the area after getting reports of gunshots and noticed the vehicle as they arrived on the scene.

A recorded message playing from the motorhome warned that a bomb would detonate within 15 minutes -- enough time for a bomb squad to clear the area before the explosion, Drake and police spokesman Don Aaron told reporters earlier Friday.

Witnesses told the Tennessean newspaper the warning, spoken in a woman's voice, counted down to the blast.

The message, as captured in a recording broadcast later by local television news stations, said: "This area must be evacuated now. This area must be evacuated now. If you can hear this message, evacuate now. If you can hear this message, evacuate now."

Fire officials said three people were taken to local hospitals with relatively minor injuries, and they were listed in stable condition. Authorities said quick action by police to begin evacuating the area before the blast likely prevented more casualties.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper ordered a curfew imposed around the blast site through the holiday weekend as FBI investigators comb the scene, though police said they were aware of no further threats to Tennessee's most populous city.

Pictures shared on social media from the immediate aftermath showed thick plumes of black smoke rising from the burning RV and storefronts that had been torn apart.

The blast happened near an AT&amp;T facility, knocking out phone service for many in the area. The telecommunications company said that "given the damage to our facility it will take time to restore service."

The Nashville International Airport announced it had temporarily halted flights due to "telecommunications issues" associated with the blast.

Both President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden were briefed on the incident, which is being investigated by the FBI and the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.&nbsp;

Biden issued a statement saying he and his wife Jill Biden "thank all the first responders working today in response to the incident, and wish those who were injured a speedy recovery."

Trump's spokesman Judd Deere tweeted that the president is "grateful for the incredible first responders and praying for those who were injured."

(with inputs from agencies)

The parked motor home, which exploded in downtown Nashville at dawn on Friday morning, blasted minutes after a recorded announcement emanating from the vehicle warned of a bomb.

The parked motor home, which exploded in downtown Nashville at dawn on Friday morning, blasted minutes after a recorded announcement emanating from the vehicle warned of a bomb. Police has hence concluded it was an "intentional act" that injured at least three people. It was uncertain whether anyone was inside the recreational vehicle when it exploded on Christmas morning, but police reported hours later that investigators had found possible human remains near the site. The powerful explosion shattered windows and ripped apart trees, wounding several people when it detonated at 6:30 am (1230 GMT) in a section of the southern US city that was largely deserted due the early hour and the Christmas Day holiday. Police chief John Drake told reporters there were no confirmed fatalities, but authorities were examining tissue found at the blast site that they believe could be human remains. In a dramatic sequence of events that shattered the Christmas morning calm, police rushed to the area after getting reports of gunshots and noticed the vehicle as they arrived on the scene. A recorded message playing from the motorhome warned that a bomb would detonate within 15 minutes -- enough time for a bomb squad to clear the area before the explosion, Drake and police spokesman Don Aaron told reporters earlier Friday. Witnesses told the Tennessean newspaper the warning, spoken in a woman's voice, counted down to the blast. The message, as captured in a recording broadcast later by local television news stations, said: "This area must be evacuated now. This area must be evacuated now. If you can hear this message, evacuate now. If you can hear this message, evacuate now." Fire officials said three people were taken to local hospitals with relatively minor injuries, and they were listed in stable condition. Authorities said quick action by police to begin evacuating the area before the blast likely prevented more casualties. Nashville Mayor John Cooper ordered a curfew imposed around the blast site through the holiday weekend as FBI investigators comb the scene, though police said they were aware of no further threats to Tennessee's most populous city. Pictures shared on social media from the immediate aftermath showed thick plumes of black smoke rising from the burning RV and storefronts that had been torn apart. The blast happened near an AT&T facility, knocking out phone service for many in the area. The telecommunications company said that "given the damage to our facility it will take time to restore service." The Nashville International Airport announced it had temporarily halted flights due to "telecommunications issues" associated with the blast. Both President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden were briefed on the incident, which is being investigated by the FBI and the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Biden issued a statement saying he and his wife Jill Biden "thank all the first responders working today in response to the incident, and wish those who were injured a speedy recovery." Trump's spokesman Judd Deere tweeted that the president is "grateful for the incredible first responders and praying for those who were injured." (with inputs from agencies)

Huge blast, which tore through Nashville, hit after chilling bomb warning