WASHINGTON — Anthony Warner, the man who blew himself up in a Christmas Day bombing in downtown Nashville, was grappling with feelings of paranoia and eccentric conspiracy theories before the explosion but did not appear to be motivated by political ideology. That’s according to an FBI report issued Monday.
“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, longheld individualized beliefs adopted from several eccentric conspiracy theories, and the loss of
stabilizing anchors and deteriorating interpersonal relationships,” the agency said in the release.
They concluded he chose the downtown area becausing it “would be impactful” while not hurting anyone else. It was not related to terrorism, they said.
The FBI statement sets out to resolve some of the lingering mysteries of an explosion that initially perplexed investigators and the public because it appeared to lack an obvious motive or fit a clear profile.
Though the blast damaged dozens of buildings, it took place early on a holiday morning well before downtown streets would be bustling with activity and was preceded by a recorded announcement warning anyone in the area that a bomb would soon detonate.
