Nashville bombing suspect told ex-girlfriend he had cancer and gave possessions away in weeks leading up to suicide, reports say as authorities investigate 5G-paranoia motive

• Anthony Warner, the suspect in the Nashville bombing, recently told an ex-girlfriend he had cancer and started giving away his possessions in the weeks before what authorities have described as a suicide attack, The New York Times reported.
• Local outlets reported that authorities were investigating whether Warner was paranoid about 5G technology.
• The technology has been the subject of numerous conspiracy theories and baseless claims, including that it causes cancer and prompted the coronavirus outbreak.

The suspect in the bombing in downtown Nashville on Christmas morning told an ex-girlfriend he had cancer and started giving away his possessions in the weeks leading up to what authorities have described as a suicide attack, The New York Times reported.

Local outlets reported that investigators were looking into whether the suspect, Anthony Warner, 63, was paranoid about 5G cellular networks.

On Sunday, the FBI said Warner was responsible for blowing up an RV in downtown Nashville on Friday. Warner died, and three others were injured. At least 41 buildings, many of them historical, were damaged by the blast.

Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief John Drake said authorities believed Warner acted alone, WTVF reported.

The Times and The Tennessean on Sunday published new information about Warner's background.

The reports said Warner worked as an information-technology specialist and lived in Antioch, a town just outside Nashville where he was raised.

The Times report said Warner had recently told an ex-girlfriend that he had cancer and then gifted her his car.

Property records showed that the day before Thanksgiving he transferred the deed of his house to a woman in Los Angeles for no money, The Tennessean reported.

One of Warner's clients told The Times that weeks ago he got an email from Warner saying he was retiring.

Investigators are trying to piece together why the bomber carried out the attack.

One emerging theory is that Warner was paranoid about 5G cellular networks, WSMV reported.

The technology has been the subject of numerous conspiracy theories and baseless claims, including that it causes cancer and that it caused the coronavirus pandemic.

A source close to the federal investigation told WSMV that investigators were looking into whether Warner feared that 5G technology was being used to spy on Americans.

Citing law-enforcement officials, WKRN also reported that investigators were "looking seriously" at whether "paranoia over 5G technology" was a motive.

The US Department of Homeland Security warned in May that 5G conspiracy theories could increase attacks on cellular-network infrastructure.

The baseless theory that 5G technology spreads the coronavirus has led people to set dozens of cellphone masts on fire in the UK, according to industry groups.

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