The Metro Nashville Police Department says authorities believe an explosion that rocked the downtown Nashville area early on Christmas Day was a deliberate act.

Police spokesman Don Aaron said the 6:30 a.m. explosion Friday, which shattered glass and damaged buildings, was believed to be “an intentional act."

Aaron said three people were taken to area hospitals for treatment, although none was in critical condition. Police and fire crews were on the scene, as were investigators from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The FBI said it was taking the lead in the investigation.

UPDATE: A recreational vehicle parked in the deserted streets of downtown Nashville exploded early Christmas morning, causing widespread communications outages that took down police emergency systems and grounded flights at the city’s airport.

Authorities said they believe the blast was intentional. Three people were hurt in the explosion, which shattered windows and damaged buildings.

Two law enforcement officials tell The Associated Press that authorities have found human remains in the vicinity of the explosion. It was unclear how the remains were related to the explosion or whether they might belong to the person believed to be responsible or a victim.

The officials spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

Saturday UPDATE: Federal agents have converged at the home of a possible person of interest in the explosion that rocked downtown Nashville on Christmas morning. Investigators are scouring hundreds of tips and leads in the blast that pulverized city streets and damaged dozens of buildings.

More than 24 hours after the explosion, a motive remained elusive as investigators worked round-the-clock to resolve unanswered questions about the mysterious blast.

The explosion took place on a mostly deserted street on a sleepy holiday morning and was prefaced by a recorded warning advising those nearby to evacuate.

Officials have been searching a home in Antioch in suburban Nashville.

FBI
FBI
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Monday UPDATE: Federal officials now turn to exploring the monumental task of piecing together the motive behind the Christmas Day explosion that severely damaged dozens of downtown Nashville buildings and injured three.

Officials have named 63-year-old Anthony Quinn Warner as the man behind the mysterious explosion in which he was killed, but the motive has remained elusive. In just a few days, hundreds of tips and leads have been submitted.

Yet thus far, officials have not provided information on what possibly drove Warner to set off the explosion. The director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation told reporters on Sunday that Warner had not been on the radar before Christmas.

Metro Nashville Police
Metro Nashville Police
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Metro Nashville Police
Metro Nashville Police
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