Nashville blast: suspect killed in explosion named

Police investigating a camper van blast that injured three people in Nashville, Tennessee, on Christmas Day have named a suspect after DNA was collected at the scene.

Anthony Quinn Warner, 63, was present when the explosion occurred, officials say.

They believe the explosion may have been a suicide bombing and confirmed on Sunday that DNA samples from the site belonged to Warner.

No motive for the powerful explosion has yet been established.

During a press conference on Sunday, federal investigators said they believed that Warner, who worked in IT and had extensive experience with electronics, was the sole individual responsible for the blast and had died at the site.

They said the blast was probably deliberate, and that it was Warner’s remains discovered at the scene.

Earlier, CNN reported that DNA samples had also been collected from members of the suspect’s family.

Officers responded to reports of gunshots just before dawn on Dec 25 in an area of Nashville known for its restaurants and nightlife.

Shortly afterwards, they found a camper van outside a building belonging to the telecoms giant AT&T. The van was broadcasting a warning message to leave the area.

Police said the van had also played the 1964 hit song Downtown by British singer Petula Clark, just before it exploded, the Tennessean newspaper reported.

Resident Buck McCoy said he had been woken up by the blast. He posted a video on Facebook, showing some of the damage done.

“All my windows, every single one of them got blown into the next room. If I had been standing there, it would have been horrible,” McCoy told the Associated Press. “It felt like a bomb. It was that big.”