Following the destructive Christmas Day explosion in Nashville which damaged at least 41 businesses and sent at least three people to the hospital, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee reached out to the Federal government and requested for assistance as the state struggles with the incident's fallout.
The explosion was caused by a recreational vehicle which detonated in downtown Nashville early on Christmas morning. The incident was considered an intentional act and was also suspected as a form of suicide bombing.
Lee's request was in a form of a letter sent to President Donald Trump which he posted on Twitter. In the letter, Lee called the explosion as an "attack" which was caused by what is believed to be a vehicle-born improvised explosive device.
Moreover, Lee added that the blast highly impacted the communication system of AT&T across the state since it happened near a transmission building. Communication systems in Kentucky and northern Alabama were also affected.
I have requested an emergency declaration from @POTUS to support ongoing efforts and relief. pic.twitter.com/7vwrvN1FBw
— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) December 26, 2020
According to NY Post, as a result of the explosion, flights to and from Nashville International Airport were all grounded. In addition, it also caused complications in the network operations within the state.
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In the letter, Lee stated that between February of 2019 until December of 2020 the Volunteer State has already spent $175 million in response to larger incidents, thus, at the moment it already needs federal assistance, The Hill reported.
He also added that the magnitude and severity of the situation is beyond the capability of the state and local government to respond to.
Both President Trump and President-elect Joe Biden have been briefed about the bombing and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are already investigating the situation alongside the FBI.
MEanwhile, Nashville Mayor John Cooper has already issued a curfew which began on Friday at 4:30 PM and will be lifted at 4:30 on Sunday. A state of civil emergency has also been declared in the area.
FBI looks at possible suspects
Amid the investigations about the explosion, the FBI with the help of law enforcement partners are already looking at several individuals who are possibly responsible in the blast taht happened in downtown Nashville.
FBI's Memphis Field Office special agent in-charge, Douglas Korneski stated that at the moment, they cannot confirm the identity of any individual that they have identified during an interview with reporters on Saturday, The Epoch Times reported.
He also added that since they are looking at a number of individuals they are not yet prepared to identify any single one of them to the public.
Reporters also asked him whether the FBI is already actively looking for a particular individual, to which he responded that there are no indications that a single subject is being looked at. He also added that they have around 500 leads, thus there are several kinds of people that they might be looking for.
During Friday's blast, there were possible human reains that were seen in the site of the explosion. According to the FBI they are still working on the identification of the potential victims.
Related article: Report: Nashville Explosion a Suspected Suicide Bombing
