Despite claims from authorities that the Nashville bomber “was not on our radar,” documents show police paid a visit to the home of Anthony Quinn Warner in 2019 after his girlfriend reported he had been making explosives inside an RV and forwarded the information to the FBI.
Warner set off a massive explosion from his RV on Christmas Day outside an AT&T building, damaging more than 40 buildings and injuring at least eight people.
On Monday, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation director David Rausch said the bomber – who was killed in the explosion – had not previously been on law enforcement’s radar.
But documents obtained by The Tennessean newspaper of Nashville cast doubt on that assessment, showing that on August 21, 2019, police received a call from an attorney representing Warner’s girlfriend.
The girlfriend reportedly handed over two guns she claims to have been owned by Warner and accused him of “building bombs in the RV trailer at his residence.”
The documents also reportedly show both local and federal authorities were aware of the threats he had made.
NEW: Police visited the home of Anthony Quinn Warner last year after his girlfriend told them he was “building bombs in the RV.” The FBI was also told about the report last August. https://t.co/2n0wQh9Zc6
— Natalie Allison (@natalie_allison) December 30, 2020
Authorities Knew About the Nashville Bomber and His RV
The Tennessean reports that there isn’t any evidence that the FBI followed up on the girlfriend’s warning.
“Nashville police … forwarded the information to the FBI,” they write adding, “No actions appear to have been taken to stop Warner, a slender 5-foot-8, 135-pound man who died in the explosion…”
Breaking News: A girlfriend of the suspect in the Christmas Day bombing in Nashville warned the police 16 months ago that he was making explosives in his R.V. At the time, officers said they found no evidence of a crime.https://t.co/lftm2ulrqy
— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 30, 2020
The Nashville police saw “no evidence of a crime” at the time and had no authority to enter the property, according to the report.
The FBI, according to a statement, confirms the information but added they responded to the Nashville police and “subsequently found no records at all” regarding Anthony Quinn Warner.
“Additionally, the FBI facilitated a Department of Defense inquiry on Warner at the request of the Metro Nashville Police Department which was also negative,” the statement continues.
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Did the FBI Drop the Ball?
It sure seems like the FBI might have done more than simply check their records to see if there was any history on Anthony Quinn Warner.
The girlfriend told officers at the time that Warner “frequently talks about the military and bomb-making” and “knows what he is doing and is capable of making a bomb.”
If the FBI was made aware of such threats, it seems like getting a warrant based on shoddy evidence would have been right up their alley.
Or alternatively, maybe have a conversation with the guy?
Nashville Bomber’s Girlfriend Warned Cops He Was Building Bomb In RV (Includes Full Police Report) – The Lid https://t.co/KHP8lVu3Ga
— Deenie (@deenie7940) December 30, 2020
Earlier this week, Olivia Troye, a former aide to Vice President Mike Pence somehow linked President Trump’s divisive rhetoric to the Christmas Day bomber.
“This is a president who calls himself the president of law and order, and we have seen anything but that,” Troye continued. “We have a bombing on Christmas day. We’ve had protests in the streets.”
In reality, authorities are continuing to search for a motive, with some suggesting he was a loner paranoid about 5G technology and others investigating whether he was consumed with conspiracy theories including ones involving “lizard people.”
