Paranoid Nashville Christmas bomber claimed he had cancer and began giving away possessions weeks before explosion at AT&T building as lead investigator says 'the intent was more destruction than death'

• FBI investigators identified 63-year-old Anthony Quinn Warner as the Nashville Christmas bomber
• Warner, whom neighbors described as an 'oddball', reportedly told an ex-girlfriend he had cancer and gave her his car weeks before the attack
• The freelance IT consultant also gave away his home to a 29-year-old California woman last month 
• TBI Director David Rausch on Monday said it appeared that Warner did not intend to hurt anyone but himself
• Rausch noted that Warner broadcasted a warning from his RV for at least 15 minutes before it exploded 
• 'It does appear that the intent was more destruction than death,' he said of the blast that killed Warner  
• Investigators are still searching for motive but a source has said Warner was paranoid over 5G technology
• Warner believed he would be 'hailed a hero' for his attack on the AT&T building, the source told DailyMail.com  
• The bomber's father worked for BellSouth and died of dementia, perhaps fueling his paranoia about 5G

By MEGAN SHEETS  and KEITH GRIFFITH FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and BEN ASHFORD IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM- 28 December 2020 

Christmas bomber Anthony Quinn Warner claimed to have cancer before the attack

The Nashville Christmas bomber claimed to have cancer and appeared to be winding up his affairs before launching Friday's attack outside an AT&T transmission center, which officials believe aimed to cause destruction rather than to kill.  

Anthony Quinn Warner, 63, was named by the FBI on Sunday as the perpetrator of the Christmas Day bombing, after DNA showed he perished in the attack carried out with an RV rigged to explode.

The explosion took place before downtown streets were bustling with activity and was accompanied by a recorded announcement warning anyone nearby that a bomb would soon detonate. Then, for reasons that may never be known, the audio switched to a recording of Petula Clark's 1964 hit 'Downtown' shortly before the blast. 

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch on Monday said that the bizarre forewarning indicates that Warner did not intend to hurt anyone but himself in the attack, which injured three people and damaged more than 40 buildings.  

'When you look at all the facts at this point, obviously the audio from the vehicle warning people that an explosion was imminent, the opportunity to clear the area, certainly gives you that insight that the possibility was he had no intention of harming anyone but himself,' Rausch told Today.  'It does appear that the intent was more destruction than death.' 

A Sunday report from the New York Times details preparations Warner made in the weeks prior to his suicide attack, including telling his ex-girlfriend that he had cancer and giving her his car. 

On December 5, he also told a real estate agent that he worked for as a tech consultant that he planned to retire, according to the newspaper. 

A month before the bombing, Warner gave away the $160,000 home he lived in to a woman in California whose link to him remains unclear, DailyMail.com first reported Saturday.

Warner, 63, was named by the FBI on Sunday as perpetrator of the Christmas Day bombing outside an AT&T building, after DNA showed he perished in the attack carried out with an RV

The explosion took place before downtown streets were bustling with activity and was accompanied by a recorded announcement from the RV (pictured) warning anyone nearby that a bomb would soon detonate

Moment Nashville Christmas day bomb goes off in hostel

 

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch (pictured) on Monday said that the bizarre forewarning indicates that Warner did not intend to hurt anyone but himself

Warner's actions leading up to the bombing are now under scrutiny as investigators try to piece together his motive in the unusual attack.

The freelance IT consultant, whom neighbors described as an 'oddball', was 'heavily into conspiracy theories', a source close to the investigation told DailyMail.com. 

Warner believed 5G cellular technology was killing people, and may have been spurred on in the conspiracy theory by the 2011 death of his father, who worked for telecom BellSouth, which later merged with AT&T.

The bombing badly damaged a critical AT&T transmission center, wreaking havoc on phone communications in multiple states that the company is still racing to resolve. 

Electronic devices seized from Warner's former home in Antioch, a suburb of Nashville, have been sent to a digital forensics laboratory to unlock his online activity and find out where he discussed his warped views.

'We are waiting on the digital footprint that should finally provide us with some answers,' the source explained.

'The unofficial motive thus far is the suspect believed 5G was the root of all deaths in the region and he'd be hailed a hero.' 

 

The bombing badly damaged a critical AT&T transmission center, wreaking havoc on phone communications in multiple states that the company is still racing to resolve. Electronic devices seized from Warner's former home in Antioch, a suburb of Nashville, have been sent to a digital forensics laboratory to unlock his online activity and find out where he discussed his warped views. 'We are waiting on the digital footprint that should finally provide us with some answers,' the source explained. 'The unofficial motive thus far is the suspect believed 5G was the root of all deaths in the region and he'd be hailed a hero.'

Warner appeared to target the AT&T transmission building in Nashville (above). His father worked at BellSouth, later acquired by AT&T, before his death in 2006 of dementia +31 Warner appeared to target the AT&T transmission building in Nashville (above). His father worked at BellSouth, later acquired by AT&T, before his death in 2006 of dementia Investigators remove items from the basement of Warner's home in Antioch, Tennessee, on Saturday afternoon. A source close to the investigation said authorities are combing Warner's digital footprint in their search for a motive +31 Investigators remove items from the basement of Warner's home in Antioch, Tennessee, on Saturday afternoon. A source close to the investigation said authorities are combing Warner's digital footprint in their search for a motive

Police camera captures moment Nashville street rocked by bomb

 

Warner appeared to target the AT&T transmission building in Nashville (above). His father worked at BellSouth, later acquired by AT&T, before his death in 2006 of dementia

Investigators remove items from the basement of Warner's home in Antioch, Tennessee, on Saturday afternoon. A source close to the investigation said authorities are combing Warner's digital footprint in their search for a motive 

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