FBI: Nashville Bomber ‘Driven In Part’ By Paranoia, ‘Eccentric Conspiracy Theories’

The 63-year-old Tennessee man who blew himself up in an RV on Christmas morning struggled with paranoia and followed conspiracy theories, but he did not have social or political motivations for his actions, officials at the FBI announced Monday. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a report released Monday morning that the bomber, whose name has been withheld per Daily Wire policy, likely did not expect to survive the blast and also likely chose the downtown location so as to garner public attention. The timing and location of the blast, however, appears to have been chosen to minimize the “likelihood of causing undue injury,” according to the FBI’s assessment. 

“Based on analysis of the information and evidence gathered throughout the investigation, the FBI assesses [the bomber’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 relationship,” reads the FBI’s six-page report, obtained by USA Today.

“The FBI’s analysis did not reveal indications of a broader ideological motive to use violence to bring about social or political change, nor does it reveal indications of a specific personal grievance focused on individuals or entities in and around the location of the explosion,” the report continues, before adding: “It is important to note that only [the bomber] knows the real reason why he detonated his explosive device. However, at this time, the FBI is confident, based on evidence collected, [the bomber’s] own writings, and interviews with those who knew him best, that the above assessment is accurate.”

Joel Siskovic, a spokesperson for the FBI, said there was no evidence that the man targeted the nearby AT&T building, reported The Tennessean.

With the help of DNA evidence recovered from the blast site area, federal officials managed to identify the man as the suspect within days. According to the FBI, officials subsequently conducted hundreds of interviews amidst the course of the investigation and received thousands of tips. 

The FBI’s announcement comes nearly three months after the man detonated his RV in an act that knocked out some cell phone service and communications systems in the area, temporarily grounded flights out of Nashville International Airport, and left investigators struggling to find a motive for the blast as the city remained rattled. As The Daily Wire previously reported: 

The explosion, which has cut off some communications systems in the area and has grounded planes departing from the local airport, occurred early Friday morning, shortly after an RV started blaring a warning that an explosion would happen soon.

“It was saying, ‘This vehicle has a bomb, you must evacuate the area,’” Kim Madlom, a 59-year old Nashville resident who fled before the blast, told The Washington Post.

A voice emanating from the RV through a speaker reportedly warned residents they had 15 minutes to leave the area. Madlom, who fled the area, was on her way back after 20 minutes had passed without anything happening. The RV exploded soon after that.

“We almost didn’t take it seriously,” said Madlom, whose building was severely damaged. “Whoever did this certainly intended for us all to leave.”

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