The first picture of Nashville bomber Anthony Warner was released on Sunday, showing the long-haired, White man who authorities say died while detonating a large explosive in the city’s downtown area.
As The Daily Mail reported, authorities released the image not long after they confirmed that Warner was killed in the explosion that took place in the early morning hours on Christmas. Police had said he was suspected to have been killed, but it was not confirmed until after they conducted DNA testing on remains found at the scene.
While the motive for the bombing remains unclear, new details have emerged about Warner’s life and background. As The Tennessean reported, those who knew the bomber described him as a “self-employed computer guru” who kept to himself and tended to his pets.
Steve Fridrich told WSMV that Warner had worked for him as an IT subcontractor, and was a quiet man who focused on his work.
“Nice guy. You know, he was a techie guy – don’t mean anything negative about that. He would do this thing and leave. He didn’t bother anybody. He did his thing and leave [sic],” Fridrich said.
As The Inquisitr reported, investigators were looking into claims that Warner was a conspiracy theorist who was worried that 5G technology was being used to spy on Americans. Fridrich told WSMV that Warner never spoke about this theory while they were working together.
As The Tennessean noted, Warner had rigged an RV to play a loud announcement telling people to evacuate the area because of an imminent explosion. In between the warnings, police said the loudspeaker played the 1964 song “Downtown” by Petula Clark.
“When you’re alone and life is making you lonely you can always go downtown,” the song blared through the speakers. “When you’ve got worries, all the noise and the hurry seems to help, I know.”
Breaking: @WSMV Investigates has confirmed FBI agents spent the days at another location today besides searching the home of Anthony Warner, pursuing tips that he was paranoid about 5g spying on Americans. The latest coming up tonight at 10:00 on @WSMV pic.twitter.com/coUgdUt2cU
— Jeremy Finley (@JFinleyreports) December 27, 2020
While no other people were killed in the explosion, investigators said it created damage to some buildings including the nearby AT&T building, creating communication disruptions throughout the area and leading authorities to close parts downtown Nashville while they searched for any other explosives. Police said they did not find any other threats. Some stores noted that credit card machines did not work the day after the blast, a result of the communication disruptions.
The Daily Mail noted that Warner had run into some trouble with the law in the past, being arrested in January 1978 and being found guilty of a felony charge in 1980.