FBI: Nashville Bomber Acted Alone, Motivated by 'Paranoia', 'Conspiracy Theories'

The FBI said Monday the Christmas Day bombing in downtown Nashville was motivated by the bomber's intention to kill himself and was not an act of terrorism — the FBI confirms he acted alone.

The agency said the bomber, Anthony Warner, specifically chose the location and timing of the bombing so that it would be impactful, while still minimizing the likelihood of causing undue injury.

"The investigation found that Anthony Quinn Warner of Antioch, Tennessee, acting alone, built and ultimately detonated the vehicle-borne improvised explosive device. His actions were determined to not be related to terrorism."

The FBI’s analysis did not show Warner had motives of broader ideological intentions to use violence to bring about social or political change.

"The FBI assesses Warner’s detonation of the improvised explosive device was an intentional act in an effort to end his own life, driven in part by a totality of life stressors – including paranoia, long-held individualized beliefs adopted from several eccentric conspiracy theories, and the loss of stabilizing anchors and deteriorating interpersonal relationships," the Monday release reads.

The FBI said it is confident in its findings using the evidence found and through interviews conducted, but that only Warner knows the real reason he detonated the device.

Multiple agencies converged to investigate the blast in which 63-year-old Warner died. The explosion destroyed some structures and caused severe damage to other buildings along Nashville's historic Second Avenue. 

The FBI conducted months of work so that agents could sift through dirt and broken brick for clues, according to the Monday news release.

The agency said it was able to conclude and present the findings after recovering more than 3,000 pounds of evidence from the blast site, combing through more than 2,500 tips and conducting more than 250 interviews.