Anthony Quinn Warner was previously identified as a person interested in an apparent Christmas Day suicide bombing in Nashville, Tennessee, when conspiracy circles began to doubt his identity, or otherwise applauded his actions.
Warner, 63, is accused of setting fire to a bomb in downtown Nashville early on Christmas morning, damaging more than 40 businesses, killing himself and injuring several others. Investigators have not yet identified a motive for the attack. Nevertheless, it appears that a certain pro-Trump segment has taken the bomber’s side, with another man from Tennessee allegedly attempting a similar threat on Sunday – albeit without explosives.
Officials have not announced Warner’s possible motives and whether the incident is considered an act of terrorism. Early reports suggest the FBI is investigating whether Warner (who, according to law enforcement, dropped the bomb from a recreational vehicle outside an AT&T building) was influenced by conspiracy theories about 5G technology. A broker who worked with Warner, who was questioned by the FBI, told Nashville’s WSMV that agents asked about Warner’s interest in the technology, but that they did not know if he had such beliefs.
However, even before these potential motives came to light, some conspiracy movements had already tried to release Warner. Moments after his name surfaced in connection with the case, subscribers of the far-right QAnon conspiracy movement began flooding Twitter with absurd ideas, falsely claiming that Warner was an actor, in part because another Anthony Quinn was a Hollywood star. star before he died in 2001. Other QAnon followers dropped his name to associate his initials with combined clues, or to dissect parts of his name to display ‘Q WARN’.
Theorizing does not stop at anonymous Twitter accounts. Lin Wood, a lawyer who wanted to turn the election around in President Donald Trump’s favor, apparently questioned the bombing in several tweets. In one, he included Warner’s name in a tweet about false accusations. In another, he tweeted photos of a devastated stretch of downtown Nashville, pointing out that ‘that RV definitely packed a powerful punch. Or did it? ”
Wood did not return a request for comment on the tweets.
For his part, Trump, who had previously raged against acts of damage to property, and accused leftists of terrorism, was significantly dampened by the bombing.
“President Trump has been informed of the explosion in Nashville, Tennessee, and will continue to receive regular updates,” White House spokesman Judd Deere told the White House. Washington Post in a statement Friday. “The president is grateful for the incredible first response and prays for those injured.”
Trump has not yet tweeted about the attack. Asked if Trump made or planned a comment, Deere told The Daily Beast, “I’m his spokesman and I have, so yes, he has.”
While QAnon supporters debated Warner’s innocence, pro-terror channels on the messaging platform Telegram openly adopted his tactics. Some of the channels, which have called for civil war and violent attacks, have cheered the possibility that Warner is a terrorist influenced by QAnon – or, in the origins of these groups praying for violence from elderly conspiracy theorists, a “boomerang bomber”. ”
On Sunday, another Tennessee man allegedly imitated Warner’s bomb threat, though without the bomb. James Turgeon, 33, is accused of driving a truck through Nashville-adjacent Rutherford County while broadcasting a warning like the one Warner played from his RV before the bomb exploded. Although Turgeon is said to play similar sound, officials said Turgeon and Warner do not appear to be connected.
Turgeon’s motives are also unknown, though his digital footprint is larger than Warner’s, who apparently did not have social media under his own name. On Facebook, Turgeon shared several memes on November 7 about his position with Trump, after President-elect Joe Biden’s victory became clear.
Turgeon, who is being held in connection with a $ 500,000 bond, is charged with two counts of filing a false report, and one with tampering with evidence. It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer.
David Rausch, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, told media on Monday that Turgeon apparently vaccinated Warner’s bombing.
“There is no connection other than the individual taking advantage of the situation,” Rausch said Monday.