Nashville explosion: Nothing to see here, folks ???

The story so far. Big bang rocks Nashville as Christmas Day dawns. White RV demolished near AT&T transmission building. That and 40 other buildings damaged. Power outages plague Nashville. Electronic communications disrupted across five states.

Human meatballs found inside smoldering remains of white RV. Cops/FBI/CIA posit suicide "bombing" but clueless on motive or choice of target, also fail to explain how a bomb inside an RV could do that much damage. Walt suggests another possibility. See "Some awkward questions about the Nashville explosion" (WWW 26/12/20) and "James Bond & the Electromagnetic Pulse" (WWW 27/12/20. Includes videos.)

Yesterday the authorities named Nashville resident Anthony Quinn Warner, a techie and "computer consultant" as the "bomber" who blew himself to smithereens. Why did he do it? The British Daily Mail  quotes "a source close to the investigation" as saying that Mr Warner hoped he would be "hailed a hero" for targeting AT&T because he believed 5G cellular technology was killing people. 

The less-than-esteemed tabloid paints the deceased as a member of the tinfoil hat brigade who was "heavily into conspiracy theories." Since the 5G telecommunications network was introduced, claims have been made that it's a tool to spy on Americans (Herro, Huawei!) and that it has fueled the spread of Covid-19. 

OK, let's suppose those claims are baseless (Right, Huawei?), and that Mr Huawei was indeed nutsy-kookoo to think that taking out one transmission facility would save Nashville/the country/the world. Still open is the question of how he did it. Which brings us back to the first paragraph and the possibility suggested by Walt that he used an EMP. 

EMP? Wozzat? Try to keep up please. EMP = electromagnetic pulse generator, a very powerful version of which was used in the fictional James Bond movie Golden Eye. Well...  themovie is not entirely fictional. EMPs are real, and can be purchased online for less than $200. Check out this l'il gem. 

I note that this particular model is shown as "sold out". But there are others. And of course you'd need a lot  more power than that provided by a 24-volt battery. A "computer consultant", even acting alone (???) should be able to figure out a way to tap into a gigantic power source, such as might be found in... wait for it... an AT&T transmission centre. Just a thought.

VIDEOS: James Bond & the Electromagnetic Pulse

Sorry to interrupt our yearend review again, but it has come to Walt's attention that there are some who consider the idea that the explosion(s) which rocked Nashville on Christmas Day were caused by an electromagnetic pulse (EMP), rather than a simple stick of dynamite or other device a suicide bomber* might use, a bit farfetched. One reader has even suggested that such a WMD doesn't exist outside of a sci-fi writer's imagination! 

Just in the nick of time, Agent 3 has come up with evidence that the existence of EMPs was known, talked about, and written about at least a quarter-century ago. Indeed, it is the basis of the plot in the James Bond movie GoldenEye, released in 1995. 

Here's the IMDb synopsis: Years after a friend and fellow 00 agent is killed on a joint mission, a secret space based weapons program known as "GoldenEye" is stolen. James Bond sets out to stop a Russian crime syndicate from using the weapon. And here's the official trailer.

   

A new YouTube channel called Movie Fun has the entire film, divided into 15 parts. Even with Pierce Brosnan playing James Bond, it's pretty good. Lots of action and more-gorgeous-than-usual Bond girls. *** (3 stars). But if you're only interested in learning about the EMP, go to Part 5. The part you want to see begins at about 5:45.

   

What just happened there? The question is answered in the following part, about one minute in.

   

Now I ask you... Don't you think it possible that an explosion which damaged 41 buildings in Nashville and caused power outages and communications disruptions across TN and four neighbouring states might have been caused by just such a device? 

But wait! Another piece of the puzzle was revealed today. * Authorities said the man suspected of setting off the "bomb" -- they're still calling it that -- died in the explosion. Investigators said they used DNA to identify the remains found at the scene as those of a Tennesseean named Anthony Quinn Warner. The FBI said it also matched the RV's vehicle identification number to a registration belonging to Mr Warner. 

There's still more. Public records show that Mr Warner had experience with electronics and alarms, and had worked as a computer consultant for a Nashville realtor. Just like "Boris", the computer geek who programmed and controlled the EMP in the movie! He had been linked to the "bombing" since at least Saturday, when federal and local investigators converged on a Nashville home linked to him.

Investigator have yet to uncover any motive for the "bombing", nor have they figured ouot why Mr Warner selected the location, which was not far from a large building occupied by... wait for it... AT&T. The explosion disrupted phone service and police and hospital communications in several southern states. Could be Mr Warner was unable to pay his bill, but I think there must be more to it than that. What do you think?