NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The man believed to be responsible for the Christmas Day bombing that tore through downtown Nashville blew himself up in the explosion and appears to have acted alone, federal officials said Sunday.
Investigators used DNA and other evidence to link the man, identified as Anthony Quinn Warner, to the mysterious explosion but said they have not determined a motive. Officials have received hundreds of tips and leads but have concluded that no one other than Warner is believed to have been involved in the early morning explosion that damaged dozens of buildings and injured three people.
"Nashville is considered safe," said Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake. "There are no known threats against this city."
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In publicly identifying the suspect and his fate, officials disclosed a major breakthrough in their investigation even as they acknowledged the lingering mystery behind the explosion, which took place on a holiday morning well before downtown streets were bustling with activity and was accompanied by a recorded announcement warning anyone nearby that a bomb would soon detonate.
Then, for reasons that may never be known, the audio switched to a recording of Petula Clark's 1964 hit "Downtown" shortly before the blast.
Investigators have not uncovered a singular motive for the act nor was it revealed why Warner had selected the particular location for the bombing, which damaged an AT&T building and has continued to wreak havoc on cellphone service and police and hospital communications in several Southern states as the company worked to restore service.
Authorities said Warner, 63, was not known to law enforcement before the Christmas blast.
Warner, who public records show had experience with electronics and alarms and who had also worked as a computer consultant for a Nashville real estate firm, had been regarded as a person of interest in the bombing since at least Saturday when federal and local investigators converged on a home in suburban Nashville linked to him.
Federal agents could be seen looking around the property, searching the home and the backyard. A Google Maps image captured in May 2019 had shown a recreational vehicle similar to the one that exploded parked in the backyard, but it was not at the property on Saturday, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene.
On Sunday morning, police formally named Warner as being under investigation.
Officials said their identification of Warner relied on several key pieces of evidence, including DNA found at the explosion site. Investigators had previously revealed that human remains had been found in the vicinity.
In addition, investigators from the Tennessee Highway Patrol recovered parts from the RV in the wreckage from the blast, and were able to link the vehicle identification number to an RV that was registered to Warner, officials said.
"We're still following leads, but right now there is no indication that any other persons were involved," said Douglas Korneski, special agent in charge of the FBI's Memphis field office. "We've reviewed hours of security video surrounding the recreation vehicle. We saw no other people involved."
'KIND OF A LONER'
Warner was not married and rarely ventured from his home, according to neighbors; he lived for years with his parents and then by himself. He protected his home with an array of security cameras, rarely returning a neighborly wave and not responding to an offer of Christmas dinner, neighbors said in interviews.
"To describe him as a recluse would be an excellent word," said Rick Laude, who has lived near Warner since 2010. "You could wave at him and he was like, 'What are you waving at me for?'"
For some time after his father died in 2011, Warner lived with his mother, Betty Christine Lane, before moving into a nearby house, neighbors said. Lane could not be reached for comment.
In November, Warner transferred his property to a Los Angeles woman for "$0," according to property records of a quit claim deed. The woman said in a brief telephone interview that the FBI told her not to discuss the matter and declined comment.
"He was into phones and electronics" like his father, said his cousin, Robert Warner.
"He has always been a quiet person," Robert Warner said. "When we had the family reunions, he brought the RV, or he had a boat." Robert Warner said he had not talked to his cousin in about 10 years, and he said many members of the family had lost touch with him.
Steve Schmoldt, whose property is on the other side of the fence from Warner's residence, said Warner had "always just been kind of a loner." Schmoldt said that Warner used to have dogs, and that they talked about pets, but that such conversations were rare. He recalled how his wife brought Warner a Christmas dinner, but Warner never answered the door.
Three weeks ago, Schmoldt said, he saw Warner climbing an extension ladder to work on a large antenna on his house. "He was like an IT guy," Schmoldt said, referring to information technology. "He has quite a few security cameras around his house." Neighbors also noticed that Warner washed the RV, which until recent days they had not seen leave the property.
Fridrich & Clark Realty, a Nashville real estate firm, confirmed that Warner worked there as a computer consultant for about 15 years before announcing his retirement this month. "The Tony Warner we knew is a nice person who never exhibited any behavior which was less than professional," co-owner Steve Fridrich wrote in a statement.
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'DOWNTOWN'
Police were responding to a report of shots fired Friday when they encountered the RV blaring a recorded warning that a bomb would detonate in 15 minutes. Suddenly the warning stopped, and Clark's hit, "Downtown," started playing.
The RV exploded shortly afterward, sending black smoke and flames billowing from the heart of downtown Nashville's tourist scene, an area packed with honky-tonks, restaurants and shops.
Buildings shook and windows shattered streets away from the explosion near a building owned by AT&T that lies one block from the company's office tower, a landmark in downtown.
Forensic analysts were reviewing evidence collected from the blast site to try to identify the components of the explosives as well as information from the U.S. Bomb Data Center for intelligence and investigative leads, according to a law enforcement official who said investigators were examining Warner's digital footprint and financial history, as well as a recent deed transfer of the home they searched in suburban Nashville.
The official, who was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity, said federal agents were examining a number of potential leads and pursuing several theories, including the possibility that the AT&T building was targeted.
Korneski said Sunday that officials were looking at any and all motives and were interviewing acquaintances of Warner's to try to determine what may have motivated him.
Meanwhile, just blocks from where the bombing took place, tourists had already begun to fill the sidewalks Sunday on Lower Broadway, a central entertainment district. Some took selfies while others tried to get as close as possible to the explosion site, blocked by police barricades.
SCARY MOMENTS
Earlier Sunday, the officers who responded provided harrowing details, at times getting choked up reliving the moments that led up to the blast.
"This is going to tie us together forever, for the rest of my life," officer James Wells, who suffered some hearing loss due to the explosion, told reporters at a news conference. "Christmas will never be the same."
Officers started knocking on doors, contacting dispatch to get access codes to buildings, clearing them floor by floor, warning residents that answered to gather family members and leave.
"That's stuff that I'll never forget, the sound of the announcement saying ... 'Evacuate now,'" said officer Amanda Topping. "Just odd. And I'm pacing back and forth because I kept on having to turn pedestrians around."
Officer Brenna Hosey said she and her colleagues knocked on six or seven doors in nearby apartments to warn people to evacuate. She particularly remembered a startled mother of four children.
"I don't have kids but I have cousins and nieces, people who I love who are small," Hosey said, adding she had to plead with the family to leave the building as quickly as possible.
Tennessee officials have called for federal support in the wake of the bombing. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said on Twitter that she had spoken with President Donald Trump about the need for federal aid.
"I told him we would appreciate prompt attention to it," she said in a video message. "And the president has been so good to Tennessee, I have no doubt he will move quickly on this."
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, asked Trump on Saturday for federal assistance in response to the explosion, noting that the downed communication systems and damage to businesses were too much for the state to handle alone. Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Blackburn along with Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., wrote to Trump in support of Lee's request.
FEMA spokeswoman Janet Montesi said the request "is currently under review."
Information for this article was contributed by Kimberlee Kruesi, Michael Balsamo, Eric Tucker, Scott Stroud and Mark Humphrey of The Associated Press; and by Michael Kranish, Paulina Firozi, Brandon Gee, Meryl Kornfield, Jennifer Jenkins, Yeganeh Torbati, Toluse Olorunnipa, Devlin Barrett and Matt Zapotosky of The Washington Post.
