Around 6 AM on Christmas morning, reports of a suspicious vehicle outside the iconic Batman AT&T building were heard over local communications channels. Law enforcement officials called in the bomb squad to investigate to no avail. At 6:30 AM, the vehicle exploded leaving damage throughout the block where it had been parked.
The explosion occurred around the Batman AT&T building on 2nd Avenue North in downtown Nashville. The iconic building can be seen as motorists drive down Interstate 40 through downtown. Police have closed the area to traffic.
One eyewitness told reporters that she and her family were awakened by 5-6 loud gunshots around 5:00 AM. About five minutes later she claims they heard gunshots again. She called 911 at around 5:30 to report the occurrence. After calling the authorities the witness went downstairs and looked outside the window to see an RV parked across the street from her apartment. She began to hear a recorded broadcast coming from the RV. She said,
It was saying ‘This vehicle has a bomb. If you can hear this message you need to evacuate.
The witness stated that the recording went on for about 30 minutes. Then she said the message changed and said ‘you have 15 minutes to evacuate”. She also stated that she saw a police officer walk around the RV between 5 and 5:30 AM, and could see police at both ends of the street as the recording was playing.
The warning gave law enforcement time to knock on doors and evacuate the area. At least 3 people were reported injured during the incident.
Canine units were deployed to search the area. The Metro Nashville police, FBI, and ATF are all involved in the investigation.
In June of this year a Tennessee newspaper ran an ad stating that the Iranians were planning to bomb Nashville. The newpaper later retracted the statement.
AT&T customers’ cell phone service has been affected. Outages are reported all the way into North Carolina. People calling loved ones to check on their safety should be apprised of this situation.
