Bomb experts: Warner didn’t need license to obtain materials to build bomb

By CNN

Published January 6, 2021 8:42 AM

NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) — Despite not having the proper license to handle explosives in Tennessee, accused Nashville bomber Anthony Warner could have obtained all the materials needed to make the bomb on his own, former federal investigators tell News4 Investigates.

The state department of commerce and insurance confirmed that Warner did not have an explosive handling license.

But that leaves business owners like Lior Rose confounded, as the bomb Warner set off outside his tattoo parlor on 2nd Avenue destroyed 90 percent of the building.

“It’s very concerning that someone – just a regular person – can get so much material to build a bomb on this scale,” Rose said.

News4 Investigates spoke with two retired members of the FBI and the ATF to determine how a citizen without a license could build such a device.

“How did someone like this get access to bomb-making materials in the first place?” asked News4 Investigates.

“Unfortunately, it is relatively easy with a recipe off the internet to put together a very terrible explosive device,” said Clint Van Zandt, a former FBI criminal profile.

A spokesman for the ATF said tests are still being run to determine what kind of explosive device or materials were used to create the bomb.

David Hyche, a retired ATF post-blast investigator who has detonated hundreds of explosives in his career, said the height of the explosion, reaching far above 2nd Avenue, indicates such power that it could be a combination of materials.

“I would not be surprised if there were a number of different explosives used by this guy,” Hyche said.

Among the possible materials that investigators are likely pursuing: ammonium nitrate, which was used in the Oklahoma City bombing, and smokeless powder.

Both materials can be sold to anyone.

“If he bought in smaller quantities and kept under the radar, he could buy a lot of explosive materials,” Hyche said.

All Rose knows is that whatever Warner used, it will have long-lasting effects on his victims.

“To see your life’s work going down the drain is very sad,” Rose said.

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