Tag: Domestic terrorism

A New Domestic Terrorism Unit

With all the chaos that is being created in this country by the far Right extremists the DOJ has put together a new domestic terrorism unit……

The Department of Justice is opening a new unit to investigate acts of domestic terrorism, a top national security official said during a Senate committee hearing Tuesday.

Why it matters: The FBI and Justice Department warned repeatedly last year that the threat of and investigations into acts of domestic terrorism have increased since 2020.

  • While there is no specific federal domestic terrorism statute, the federal government defines domestic terrorism as criminal acts dangerous to human life that appear to be intended to intimidate or coerce civilians or the policy of a government. It can also use other criminal charges when pursuing domestic terrorists.
  • Lawmakers and active and former FBI agents have called for the creation of a specific statute to make such acts a federal crime, though others have argued it would be redundant or fear it could be used to crackdown on constitutional acts of political dissent.

https://www.axios.com/justice-department-domestic-terrorism-unit-1a025d5e-09d1-46ca-ac77-cc60ca687d1b.html

Seriously?

You mean there is no one unit that tracks this crap?

Why not?

I mean there has been the violent fringe for many decades and it just kept getting worse and yet no one was focusing on these slugs of society?

For me that does not say much positive for the record of the DOJ….they seem to focus more on white collar crime more than the pigs that want to destroy our government.

The DOJ has always had serious lack of foresight…they are always reacting instead of heading violence off at the pass.

I am glad that someone finally woke up and came to the conclusion that we have a major problem with domestic terrorism….now we will see just how serious they are at preventing stuff like 06 January.

Personally I am not impressed by the announcement…..

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Insurrection Update #17

This a continuation of my series that is watching the unfolding saga around the attack on the Capitol by Trumpian thugs……..

The big news is that the Congress has grown a set and found Bannon in contempt….

The full House has voted to hold Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress, reports the Hill. The vote was 229-202, largely along party lines. The former Trump aide refused to appear before a House panel investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. What happens next is in the hands of the Justice Department. If the department decides to present the case to a grand jury, Bannon could eventually face a fine or jail time, or both. Our original story from Oct. 19 follows:

A House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection voted unanimously Tuesday to hold former White House aide Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress after the longtime ally of former President Donald Trump defied a subpoena for documents and testimony. The committee’s chairman, Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, said Tuesday that Bannon “stands alone in his complete defiance of our subpoena” and the panel will not take no for an answer. He said that while Bannon may be “willing to be a martyr to the disgraceful cause of whitewashing what happened on January 6th—of demonstrating his complete loyalty to the former president,” the contempt vote is a warning to other witnesses, the AP reports.

“We won’t be deterred. We won’t be distracted. And we won’t be delayed,” Thompson added. The Tuesday evening vote sends the contempt resolution to the full House, which is expected to vote on the measure Thursday. House approval would send the matter to the Justice Department, which would then decide whether to pursue criminal charges against Bannon. The contempt resolution asserts that the former Trump aide and podcast host has no legal standing to rebuff the committee—even as Trump’s lawyer has argued that Bannon should not disclose information because it is, he claims, protected by the privilege of the former president’s office.

Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, one of just two Republicans on the committee, said: “Mr. Bannon’s and Mr. Trump’s privilege arguments do appear to reveal one thing, however: They suggest that President Trump was personally involved in the planning and execution of January 6th. And we will get to the bottom of that.” The committee says it is pursuing Bannon’s testimony because of his apparent role in the events of Jan. 6, including his communications with Trump ahead of the siege, his efforts to get the former president to focus on Jan. 6, the day Congress certified the presidential vote, and his comments on Jan. 5 that “all hell is going to break loose” the next day.

I do not understand why the House was not more prepared for this eventuality….instead they dragged this out ad nauseum.

At least one judge is getting tough on those convicted of the breach and the violence….

Prosecutors asked for 30-day terms for two Capitol rioters when they were sentenced Wednesday in Washington. US District Judge Tanya Chutkan gave Robert Bauer of Kentucky and Edward Hemenway of Virginia 45 days each. On Tuesday, Chutkan gave another person convicted in the Jan. 6 attack—Dona Sue Bissey of Indiana—two weeks, though prosecutors wanted probation. She’s imposed jail terms of 14 to 45 days in the past two weeks on defendants who pleaded guilty to riot charges, Reuters reports. “There have to be consequences for participating in an attempted violent overthrow of the government, beyond sitting at home,” Chutkan said.

She’s not the only judge to be critical of sentences and recommendations she finds too lenient in the riot prosecutions. But in a case last week, Chutkan became the first judge to impose a harsher sentence than prosecutors sought. The chief judge of the federal court in Washington also expressed concern about allowing defendants to plead guilty to misdemeanors. Even those convicted of relatively minor crimes, Judge Beryl Howell said, were involved in “terrorizing members of Congress.” During a hearing in August, Howell asked, “Does the government, in agreeing to the petty offense in this case, have any concern about deterrence?”

Chutkan, who was appointed a judge by former President Obama, raised that issue last week when Matthew Mazzocco was sentenced on a single misdemeanor charge, per WUSA. “A sentence of probation does not reflect the seriousness of the crime. … If Mr. Mazzocco walks away with probation and a slap on the wrist, that’s not going to deter anyone from trying to do what he did,” the judge said. “Nor do I agree with the government that confining him to his home, where he can be with his family, is appropriate.” Among the selfies Mazzocco took on Jan. 6 was one he posted showing the building behind him with the caption, “The capital is ours!” Chutkan gave him 45 days.

At least one Capitol police man was aiding the violent protesters…..apparently he thought more of the thugs and their moronic cause than the safety of his fellow cops….

“Take down the part about being in the building,” a Capitol Police officer advised a rioter on Jan. 7 who’d posted online about taking part in the attack the day before, new charges say. The rioters who went inside the Capitol will be charged, Michael Riley reportedly told the man in a Facebook message, USA Today reports. “Just looking out!” Riley, 50, appeared Friday in DC federal court, accused of obstruction of justice. He’s the first Capitol Police officer to be charged with helping the rioters, per CNN.

The person who communicated with Riley was arrested in January but was not named in the indictment. The two didn’t know each other but had been in Facebook groups related to fishing, the indictment says. Riley sent a friend request. “Hey, im a capitol police officer who agrees with your political stance,” their conversation began, prosecutors say. “Im glad you got out of there unscathed We had over 50 officers hurt, some pretty bad,” Riley told him the same day. The man sent Riley videos showing him at the Capitol, some of him inside the building.

Around the middle of January, Riley told the man to stay off social media, the court filing says. “Theyre arresting dozens of people aday,” the officer messaged. “Everyone that was in the building, engaged in violent acts, or destruction of property…and theyre all being charged federally with felonies.” The two spoke on the phone, as well, and the man then let others know he was communicating with “capitol police” and tell them trespassing charges were imminent. Riley is scheduled to be arraigned on Oct. 26.

A 25-year veteran, Riley was working in the K-9 unit at the time of the riot; he was not on duty in the building when it was attacked. He’s been placed on administrative leave, and the force is doing its own investigation of his conduct. Riley deleted his direct messages after the other man was arrested, per CNN, but not before writing that he was angered by seeing the rioter smoking marijuana in the Capitol on video and “acting like a moron.”

Flying the Black Flag…..

On a daily basis Fox News and other elements of the right-wing disinformation propaganda machine use stochastic terrorism and other techniques to radicalize their audience into committing acts of political violence. To this point, the Democratic Party and the political and news media class in general have remained in denial, and largely passive in response. 

In one troubling new development, Trump supporters have begun flying all-black American flags, in an implicit threat to harm or kill their opponents — meaning nonwhite people, “socialist liberals,” Muslims, vaccinated people and others deemed to be “enemies” of “real America.” As media critic Eric Boehlert recently noted, the liberal opinion site Living Blue in Texas is sounding the alarm about the specific meaning of the black flag and the Republican-fascists support for terrorism and other political violence. That post, “Are Your Republican Neighbors Planning on Killing You?”, merits lengthy quotation:

https://www.salon.com/2021/10/12/black-flag-understanding-the-trumpists-latest-threatening-symbol/

I shall continue to watching the situation around the legal issues surrounding the attack on the republic of 06 January…..

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I Read, I Write, you Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Vanilla ISIS, Baby

Or maybe a better title would be ‘Y’all Qaeda’…….

In this I am talking about our home-grown white nationalists……

White nationalists were called out on CNN on Wednesday after a shocking report that white supremacists were citing the Taliban as a model for successfully taking over a country.

For analysis, CNN’s Anderson Cooper interviewed Harvard professor and CNN national security analyst Juliette Kayyem.

“We used to joke in our gallows humor…the radicalization of the right we used to call ‘Vanilla ISIS’ — in other words it was just about radicalization,” she explained. “What we have to remember is they’re really focused on an image of America — that they don’t like this America, the white supremacist groups and right-wing groups.”

She said the white supremacists were opposed to “a diverse America one in which women are equal, one in which there is diversity.” She said it “sounds very similar to the Taliban.”

https://www.rawstory.com/white-nationalists-taliban-afghanistan/

I have written many posts about the rise of the white nationalism that is destroying this country piece by piece.

Where was the so-called “Left” during the rise of these d/bags?

Where was the American left during all of this? Did it form a united front, organizing a mass movement to oppose this rising neofascistic Trumpian movement? Sadly, this was not the case, with much of what passes for the U.S. left being deeply fractured. Many were reluctant to even recognize that a rising neofascistic movement exists, let alone fight it. That’s in part because many high-profile left pundits have, for all intents and purposes, thrown their lot in with this neofascistic movement. More specifically, there is a heavily corporatized, nominally left segment of the punditry, which is heavily based out of Twitter, cable news, Substack, and YouTube, and dominated by personalities like Jimmy Dore, Glenn Greenwald, Matt Taibbi, Joe Rogan, Caitlin Johnstone, and Krystal Ball, among others, and with followers in the hundreds of thousands to millions, who are mainstreaming and popularizing Republican talking points. They work to mainstream the idea of a left-right political alliance in the U.S. They’ve popularized noxious reactionary propaganda and diversionary conspiracy theories that numb peoples’ minds, while convincing progressives that their primary enemy is “the libs,” and normalizing rightwing views, bigotry, and neofascistic politics. These are not individuals that any thoughtful leftist – whether one who advocates for liberal reform, progressive transformation, or socialism – should entertain.

Rise of the Right: How the Vaudeville Left Fuels White Supremacy

In my opinion the so-called “Left” has been in disarray since 1980….they have spent all those years and decades reacting to the Repubs seldom do they go on the attack until it is too late to counter the hate and the slide….Dems are shirt-sighted…that is the best thyey can muster these days.

So every time we hear these white d/bags referred to as ‘patriots’ counter with Vanilla ISIS or Y’all Qaeda for they are NO better than the slime in ISIS or Al-Qaeda…

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Biden Takes On Domestic Terrorism

After a rise in hate groups over the last decade and then the breach of the Capitol on 06 January Biden has decided to take on the situation of domestic terrorism (about damn time)……

The Biden administration says it will enhance its analysis of threats from domestic terrorists, including the sharing of intelligence within law-enforcement agencies, and will work with tech companies to eliminate terrorist content online as part of a nationwide strategy to combat domestic terrorism.

The National Security Council on Tuesday released the strategy, which comes more than six months after a mob of insurgents loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol as Congress was voting to certify Joe Biden’s presidential win.

“Domestic terrorism — driven by hate, bigotry, and other forms of extremism — is a stain on the soul of America,” Biden, who’s traveling in Europe, said in a statement. “It goes against everything our country strives for and it poses a direct challenge to our national security, democracy, and unity.”

(Market Watch)

Under Federal law, “domestic terrorism” is defined as “activities that involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State; appear to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion, or to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States.”

The Biden plan is a 4 pillar approach…..

PILLAR 1: UNDERSTAND AND SHARE DOMESTIC TERRORISM-RELATED INFORMATION

PILLAR 2: PREVENT DOMESTIC TERRORISM RECRUITMENT AND MOBILIZATION TO VIOLENCE

PILLAR 3: DISRUPT AND DETER DOMESTIC TERRORISM ACTIVITY

PILLAR 4: CONFRONT LONG-TERM CONTRIBUTORS TO DOMESTIC TERRORISM

Something needs to be done….this is a pretty good start but more will need to be done to protect our nation from those in-bred morons that commit domestic terrorism against this nation.

If you would like to see just what the president and his team want to accomplish then read the plan for yourself….

Click to access National-Strategy-for-Countering-Domestic-Terrorism.pdf

Like I stated….a good start but success will depend on the cooperation of all agencies involved….and I foresee a problem there.

We need to assure the American people (those with half a brain that is) that the events of 06 January was a one off and will never occur again.

Can this plan guarantee that?

Thoughts?

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I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

America’s Extreme Domestic Terrorism

Closing Thought–20May21

I seems that the incidents of domestic terrorism is getting worse by the week……apparently it is according to a newly released FBI report…..

Killings by American domestic extremists in 2019 were the worst in the nation in 24 years, according to a chilling new report released by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.

Of the 32 killings by extremists in five separate attacks in 2019 — the most lethal year for domestic extremist assaults since 1995 — 24 were committed by white supremacists, according to the report.

Gamification” — in which attackers seek to “score” a high “kill count” — “inspired” some of the assaults in 2019, and will likely continue to be a factor in future attacks, the report noted.

There were 57 deaths linked to domestic extremists from 2017 through 2019, with 47 of them racially motivated, according to the report.

“The greatest terrorism threat to the Homeland we face today is posed by lone offenders, often radicalized online, who look to attack soft targets with easily accessible weapons,” the report noted. “Many of these violent extremists are motivated and inspired by a mix of socio-political goals and personal grievances against their targets.”

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/deadly-domestic-extremism-worst-in-25-years-fbi-white-supremacists_n_60a0591ae4b03e1dd38a5b4e

This is a trend that I do not think will subside anytime soon…..if that is truly the case then why is there NOTHING we can do about them?

The term “militia” is inexact. It can conjure up a host of incongruous images, including units in the American Revolutionary War, the siege at Ruby Ridge, and mysterious groups converging since last spring to “protect” private property during Black Lives Matter protests. So when the intelligence community warns about “militia violent extremists,” what exactly does it mean?

When the media or government officials talk about militias, they’re talking about private armed paramilitary organizations that operate without government authority (so, not the U.S. National Guard). Hampton Stall, a researcher and militia expert at ACLED, uses three general descriptors to differentiate between militia and non-militia groups: strategy, structure and schedule. “Strategy” refers to a group’s political views around which members organize, while “structure” refers to a clearly defined hierarchy within the group, often including military ranks and a chain of command. “Schedule” refers to groups having regular, in-person events, including field-training exercises and recruitment. Plenty of groups have one or two of these elements, but the presence of all three is a sure sign of a militia, according to Stall.

Militias Pose A Serious Threat. So Why Is It So Hard To Stop Them?

As long as lies and misinformation feeds the idea of domestic terrorism this situation will not go away….or be solved.

Turn The Page!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–07Apr21

We all know about the problems the Capitol police had with the insurrection of in-bred insurrectionists…and a wall went up….and then a lone moron went crazy and killed a police man and injured another after he rammed a check point…..the craziness continues with the Capitol being apparently a major target these days.

The DC police union has gone to Congress for help…..

The United States Capitol Police union is urging Congress to ramp up security around the Capitol, days after a an officer was killed outside the building, they said in a statement on Saturday.

So what is the answer?

Rep, Tim Ryan (D-OH) has answer.

Go to Israel for security advice.

A US House Representative who helps oversee security at the Capitol said Friday he had consulted with Israeli security officials to learn how they keep the government secure, after an attack on the Capitol killed a police officer.

Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio, chairman of a House spending committee that oversees security and the Capitol, spoke to Fox News following the ramming attack on a barricade at the complex.

His committee and others are looking at not only fencing around the complex but at the staffing, structure, and intelligence capabilities of the Capitol Police.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/congressman-says-hes-consulted-with-israel-about-us-capitol-security/

Seriously!

We go to the nation that uses snipers to kill protesters, arrests children, and other forms of intimidation of citizens….why?

Is this the type of ‘security’ that Rep. ryan is looking for?

Image

You mean the country that has a weaponized police force needs advice from a genocidal nation?

What is the police budget being spent on if not for training for future incidents?

Israel can offer NOTHING to the US on proper crowd control….that is unless the country wants to become a state of intimidation and genocide.

Who thinks this is a good idea?

Our police departments need to learn how to handle volatile situations without the Israeli form of control.

What is Rep. Ryan thinking?

Or should I ask….who pulls Ryan’s string?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Insurrection Good News/Bad News

The saga continues for the insurrection of 06 January 2021……the FBI and Justice Department is trying to find those that participated and bring them to justice…..

The good news of the insurrection……more arrests coming…..

The U.S. Justice Department on Friday said it expects to file criminal charges against more than 100 additional people who allegedly participated in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, in what it described as probably the most complex investigation it has ever handled.

More than 300 people already face charges stemming from the siege, which left five people dead and more than 130 police officers injured as thousands of supporters of former President Donald Trump tried to prevent Congress from certifying his election defeat.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-capitol-prosecution-idUSKBN2B41Y7

Sadly there is bad news as well…..

The US attorney’s office in Washington, DC, expects to start offering plea deals to people charged in the Capitol insurrection in the next 30 days, a prosecutor told a judge on Friday.

None of the 300-plus people charged with participating in the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol have pleaded guilty to charges so far. Court filings in recent weeks have confirmed that some defendants are open to cutting a deal, but until now prosecutors had been vague about timing, at least in their public representations about the investigation. They’ve told judges that because of the mountain of evidence they’re still gathering and sifting through, they needed more time before they could make offers.

During a Friday morning hearing in the case of two alleged Capitol rioters, Jenny Cudd and Eliel Rosa, Assistant US Attorney Amanda Fretto said that based on information prosecutors had received from supervisors, it sounded “like things are moving along.” Fretto said she had spoken with lawyers for Cudd and Rosa about agreeing to suspend deadlines in their case for 30 days to give the government time to extend a plea offer.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/zoetillman/capitol-riots-plea-deals-insurrection-cases

Plea deals?

I say NO DAMN WAY!

These people participated in an insurrection against this country…..make the a/holes pay for their betrayal of everything this country stands for……JAIL TIME!

They deserve NO consideration….PERIOD!

Thoughts?

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I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–15Feb21

Weeks ago during the protests in Kenosha Wisconsin the little dipshit Rittenhouse took his rifle and set about shooting and killing protesters….and now the a local judge said that with all the problems this little slug has caused he is now free to walk around a plot his next act of terrorism.

Kyle Rittenhouse doesn’t need to be arrested again, his bail doesn’t need to be increased, and he doesn’t have to publicly disclose his whereabouts, a judge in Wisconsin decided Thursday. Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder rejected prosecutors’ request to issue an arrest warrant for the 18-year-old, who is charged with killing two men and injuring a third during protests in Kenosha last year, NPR reports. Prosecutors said Rittenhouse, who was freed in November after posting $2 million bail, violated bond conditions by failing to inform the court of a change in address. The teen’s lawyers said he withheld his new address out of safety concerns. They submitted an anonymous email warning that Rittenhouse would be raped in prison. Schroeder agreed that there were legitimate concerns for Rittenhouse’s safety.

Schroeder said the violation wasn’t enough reason to arrest Rittenhouse. The judge declined the request to raise bail by $200,000, but told Rittenhouse’s lawyers to submit his new address to the court, which would keep it sealed. The judge said he didn’t want to risk further unrest. “After what this town has been through in the last six months I don’t want any more problems,” Schroeder said, per Reuters. “I’ve got two broken windows here, right here in this courtroom, the doors are all still covered with plywood, a good share of the community is still boarded up after millions of dollars of damage.” CNN reports that John Huber, father of one of the men allegedly shot by Rittenhouse, asked for bail to be increased to $4 million. “From the moment he became a killer he thought he was above the law,” Huber said.

This garden slug of a district judge sees no problem>

Maybe this will help……Rittenhouse’s bail conditions were changed after he was seen drinking with Proud Boys.

Still associating with hate groups….is a problem.

This is yet another example of the injustice in our justice system.

If this had been a crime committed by a black person they would be rotting in jail….but yet some little Nazi is free to continue his life of hate.

I say screw the little bastard….let him grow old and die in prison.

Better yet Biden needs to find out who appointed this slug to his judgeship and chastise them.

Your thoughts please.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Make It Go Bang!

By now everyone has heard about the moron that blew up himself and his RV in Nashville. The thing is this person is handled with kid gloves in the media (at least that is how it appears)…..my question is….WHY?

The Nashville narrative is pretty clear: Authorities say Anthony Quinn Warner packed his RV with explosives and blew it and himself up on Christmas while parked downtown. He was, by the most basic definition of the term, a suicide bomber. And yet you’d be hard-pressed to find the phrase in media coverage, writes Danielle Campoamor at Refinery29. The same applies to “domestic terrorist.” Campoamor calls out “legacy publications” in general for avoiding the terminology, particularly the New York Times and the local Tennessean, which is part of Gannett. Instead of being called a suicide bomber or a domestic terrorist, Quinn is being described as a lonely, older white guy. If he were Black or brown, he wouldn’t be getting the same treatment, writes Campoamor. She notes that this Times article in particular set off a backlash among critics like her.

“Editors and political talking heads dragging their feet to name a white domestic terrorist accordingly is hardly new,” she writes. Men like those recently accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan’s governor usually are instead described as “militia” members or “watchmen.” Campoamor isn’t the only calling attention to this. “If a bomber commits suicide with a bomb wouldn’t you call that person a suicide bomber?” tweets Molly Jong-Fast of the Daily Beast. The problem goes beyond media semantics, writes Campamor, pointing as an example to the way hate crimes against Muslims spike after an attack by someone claiming to be one. “This refusal to hold white men to the same standard—to the same level of villainization—plays a large part in the culture of hate crimes that runs rampant in America,” Campamor notes. (Read her full column.)

Why was this white guy a lonely man with mental problems?

I do not think a black or brown person would have gotten such favorable treatment….they would have been thugs or terrorists.

What gave this demented person the benefit of the doubt when others are not so lucky?

Question….answer?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Tragic Christmas Surprise

While must of us were preparing for one of our big days…tragedy struck in the city of Nashville…..

An explosion shook the largely deserted streets of downtown Nashville early Christmas morning, shattering windows, damaging buildings, and wounding three people, per the AP. Authorities said they believed the blast was intentional, and the FBI is leading the investigation. Police spokesman Don Aaron said the 6:30am explosion was believed to be “an intentional act,” though no further details were provided. Police earlier said they believe a vehicle was involved in the explosion. Aaron said three people were taken to area hospitals for treatment, although none were in critical condition. The Metro Nashville Office of Emergency Management told WKRN that a parked recreational vehicle exploded and damaged several buildings.

Black smoke and flames were seen early Friday billowing from the area, which is packed with bars, restaurants, and other retail establishments and is known as the heart of downtown Nashville’s tourist scene. Buildings shook in the immediate area and beyond after a loud boom was heard. “All my windows, every single one of them got blown into the next room. If I had been standing there it would have been horrible,” said Buck McCoy, who lives near the area. “It felt like a bomb. It was that big.”

This report was updated while it sat in my draft queue……..

A strange new twist has developed in regard to the explosion that rocked downtown Nashville on Christmas morning. Police and witnesses say a recreational vehicle broadcast warnings that a bomb was in the vehicle and counted down a 15-minute warning before the explosion, reports the Tennessean. As of Friday afternoon, three people were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries as authorities led by the FBI try to figure out what happened. Coverage:

  • The start: Police responded to a call of shots fired about 6am and discovered the “suspicious” RV parked on a street, reports the Washington Post. The bomb squad was en route when the explosion occurred about 6:30am, per the AP.
  • Warnings: Witnesses heard this coming from the RV: “Evacuate now. There is a bomb. A bomb is in this vehicle and will explode,” according to the Tennessean. Then a 15-minute countdown began. “Whoever did it did gave fair warning,” says Betsy Williams, owner of the nearby Melting Pot restaurant. She and her family also live in the building, and they evacuated in their pajamas. Williams says she thinks the RV showed up Thursday night.
  • Questions: Authorities don’t know if anyone was in the RV when it exploded. Nor have they speculated on a possible motive. “We do believe this to have been an intentional act,” says police spokesman Don Aaron said. “Significant damage has been done to the infrastructure there on 2nd Avenue North.” CNN quotes a law enforcement source who says there were no known threats about a Christmas strike among extremist groups.
  • A promise: “We will find out who did this,” Special Agent in Charge Matt Foster of the FBI said at an afternoon news conference. “This is our city, too. We’re putting everything we have into finding who was responsible for what happened here today.” President Trump has been briefed, reports WKRN.
  • Dog walker: Police began knocking on doors and telling people to evacuate in the minutes before the blast. One man walking his dog was directed away from the site moments before the explosion, notes the Post.
  • Damage: It will take time to assess, but several buildings sustained structural damage, and photos showed destroyed cars, scattered glass, broken water mains, and shards of metal strewn everywhere. “It looks like a bomb went off,” says Mayor John Cooper

Of course this will be a continuing story until the conclusion and arrests are made.

Barbaric!

All involved should be punished and punished severely……

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”