A day after a massive Christmas morning explosion shook downtown Nashville, police have zeroed in on the suspect. According to sources, the suspect may have died in the explosion, leading the law enforcement to believe that the huge blast that injured three people was a suicide bombing.
The authorities have not named a person of interest yet and no arrests have been made. They are also looking at the motive behind the attack, even as they are going over more than 500 tips received from the public.
Rental Home in Antioch Raided
The ATF and the FBI raided a duplex home in Antioch, southeast of Nashville. Residents living near the brick home said they noticed the recreational van at the home in the last two weeks. The building sits on a part of the town that's replete with rental homes.
Before the investigation team comprising FBI and ATF officials entered the home, special forces cleared the home to preclude further bomb threats. After the midnight raid, the authorities said there was no one at the home. The evidence team is expected to arrive at the spot soon.
The authorities said there is no active manhunt at the moment. The law enforcement also said they are not seeing further threat to the public. "We can't confirm any individuals or anybody that we've identified ... At this point we are not prepared to identify any single individual," FBI Special Agent in Charge Douglas Korneski told CNN.
Human Remains Being Analyzed
Earlier on Saturday, it was reported that human remains were found at the site of the Nashville vehicle explosion. This had more or less convinced the authorities that the attack was a planned one. The recreational vehicle exploded in the early hours of Christmas morning on Friday, injuring at least three people.
Nashville police Chief John Drake said the tissues found at the site will be examined to confirm if they are human remains. Although it was not clear at the beginning if the the remains belonged to a victim or the perpetrator of the attack, the suicide bombing theory sits well with the conclusion that the attacker may have died in the blast.
Immediately after the blast the local authorities had said it was a deliberate act. Mayor John Cooper said the blast was caused by a "deliberate bomb."
Mass Murder was not the Goal?
Police are also confused about the motive behind the attack as the vehicle blared a recorded message warning of imminent blast. The message said the vehicle would explode in 15 minutes and warned everyone to move away. This, coupled with the timing of the blast made it clear that the attacker was not eying mass murder.
