田纳西州纳什维尔市-联邦调查局（FBI）对纳什维尔爆炸案是否是恐怖行为的调查引发了对可能的种族双重标准的批评，并引起了市中心企业主的质疑，他们的保险范围可能受到该局评估的影响。
在美国主要城市中心发生爆炸后的一个多星期，联邦调查局拒绝将其标记为恐怖主义行为，这表明迄今为止收集到的证据并不能最终证明轰炸机是出于政治意识形态—任何正式宣布恐怖主义的关键因素。该局仍在审查证据，尚未宣布任何结论，但已知调查人员正在审查Anthony Warner是否相信涉及外星人和5G手机技术的阴谋论。
华纳在圣诞节那天的一辆休闲车爆炸中丧生，这也炸伤了另外三人。
“当我们评估一个家庭恐怖主义联系事件时，它必须与一种意识形态联系在一起。在促进政治或社会意识形态或事件中使用武力或暴力。我们还没有做到这一点，”联邦调查局孟菲斯办公室负责人的联邦调查局特工道格·科涅斯基（Doug Korneski）上周在新闻发布会上对记者说。
联邦调查局调查了两种类型的恐怖主义，它们不是根据嫌疑人的种族或背景来确定的，而是根据人的动机或意识形态来确定的。国际恐怖主义涉及受外国恐怖主义组织启发或在外国恐怖主义组织的指导下采取行动的人们的行为。家庭恐怖主义通常涉及出于政治动机的暴力，旨在促进特定的事业或议程。
音乐城历史悠久的市中心的爆炸摧毁了40多家企业。自那以后，少数州和城市领导人对恐怖主义的名称表示担忧，认为如果63岁的华纳（Warner）不是白人，当局将采取不同的行动。
“对于那些弯腰向后弯以免将其称为恐怖行为的人，如果华纳曾经是穆斯林/移民/黑人，您会说同样的话吗？或者您将成为数以百万计的人，不仅谴责他，而且谴责他的整个社区？” 纳什维尔市议会议员Zulfat Suara在炸弹袭击发生后几天发了推文。
攻击的分类可以帮助确定受损企业的保险支出。有争议的是，在整个联邦法律中散布着各种不同的恐怖主义定义。
华盛顿附近的保险业智囊团Centers for Better Insurance的创始人兼常务理事Jason Schupp表示，小企业主在选择保险单时倾向于选择不参加恐怖主义活动，因为他们认为恐怖行为不太可能影响他们的公司。直流电
皮特·吉布森（Pete Gibson）是“骄傲与荣耀纹身店”（Pride and Glory Tattoo Parlour）的所有者，该店位于炸弹现场的对面。他说，七年前他选择保险单时，恐怖主义报道是他脑海中最遥远的细节。他仍不确定将要涵盖的内容，但本周他将与律师开会以讨论其政策。
吉布森说：“那时我什至没有听说过恐怖主义报道。” “所以现在只是一团糟。我希望很快就会知道。”
吉布森说，他和其他小企业主在今年早些时候的“黑住事”抗议中考虑与恐怖主义有关，但他们都将其搁置一旁。
他已经能够访问炸弹现场评估一些损失，但他的纹身店仍然太不稳定而无法穿过。他形容“周围有大量木材，灯光闪烁。”
根据美国财政部的数据，田纳西州30％到40％的企业已将恐怖主义报道从其政策中排除。
9/11袭击发生后不久，国会颁布了2002年的联邦法律，该法律允许财政部长将事件认定为恐怖行为，而不论执法人员如何看待。舒普说，迄今为止，财政部从未这样做过，包括在2013年波士顿马拉松爆炸和2017年拉斯维加斯大道大规模枪击事件发生后。
此外，定义家庭恐怖主义可能具有挑战性，特别是在起诉方面。尽管美国《刑法》中有定义，但没有联邦国内恐怖主义法规，这意味着司法部检察官必须求助于其他罪行，例如炸药指控，以起诉否则可能被视为恐怖主义的行为。
纳什维尔爆炸案发生在市区街道因圣诞节活动而热闹之前。警方回应了有关他们在遇到房车时开枪的报道，并警告说炸弹将在15分钟内引爆。音频然后切换到爆炸发生前不久Petula Clark 1964年的热门单曲“ Downtown”的录音。
调查人员尚未发现动机，但他们了解到华纳可能相信阴谋论，包括以变形爬行动物为人类形式接管社会的想法。官员说，他还讨论了旅行以狩猎外星人。
联邦调查局（FBI）已确认华纳向他认识的人发送了有关他的观点的材料，但调查人员尚未发布有关包裹所含内容的详细信息。
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塔克从华盛顿报道。
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The FBI investigation into whether the Nashville bombing was a terrorist act has sparked criticism about a possible racial double standard and drawn questions from downtown business owners whose insurance coverage could be affected by the bureau’s assessment.
More than a week after an explosion that struck at the heart of a major American city, the FBI has resisted labeling it an act of terrorism, an indication that evidence gathered so far does not conclusively establish that the bomber was motivated by political ideology — a key factor in any formal declaration of terrorism. The bureau is still examining evidence and has not announced any conclusions, but investigators are known to be reviewing whether Anthony Warner believed in conspiracy theories involving aliens and 5G cellphone technology.
Warner died in the Christmas Day explosion of a recreational vehicle that also wounded three other people.
“When we assess an event for domestic terrorism nexus, it has to be tied to an ideology. It’s the use of force or violence in the furtherance of a political or social ideology or event. We haven’t tied that yet," Doug Korneski, the FBI agent in charge of the agency’s Memphis office, told reporters last week at a news conference.
The FBI investigates two types of terrorism that are defined not by the ethnicity or background of the suspect but by the person’s motivation or ideology. International terrorism involves acts by people who are inspired by, or acting at the direction of, foreign terrorist organizations. Domestic terrorism generally involves politically motivated violence intended to further a particular cause or agenda.
The explosion in Music City's historic downtown damaged more than 40 businesses. Since then, a handful of state and city leaders have raised concerns about the terrorism designation, arguing that authorities would have acted differently if the 63-year-old Warner had not been a white man.
“To those bending over backward to not call this an act of terror, if Warner had been a Muslim/immigrant/black, will you say the same thing or will you be one of the millions condemning not just him but his entire community?” Nashville City Council member Zulfat Suara tweeted just days after the bombing.
The classification of the attack could help determine insurance payouts for businesses that were damaged. At issue are the varying definitions of terrorism sprinkled throughout federal law.
Small business owners tend to opt out of terrorism coverage when selecting insurance policies, presuming that a terrorist act would be unlikely to affect their company, said Jason Schupp, founder and managing member of Centers for Better Insurance, an insurance industry think tank near Washington, D.C.
Pete Gibson is owner of Pride and Glory Tattoo Parlor, which is directly across from the bomb site. He said terrorism coverage was the farthest detail from his mind when he was selecting an insurance policy seven years ago. He is still unsure what will be covered, but he has a meeting with attorneys this week to go over his policy.
“I hadn’t even heard of terrorism coverage back then,” Gibson said. “So now it’s just a big mess. I’m hoping to know more soon.”
Gibson said he and other small business owners were approached earlier this year during Black Lives Matter protests about considering terrorism coverage, but they all brushed it aside.
He has been able to visit the bomb site to assess some of the damage, but his tattoo shop is still too unstable to walk through. He described “massive pieces of timber all around and lights flickering.”
According to the Treasury Department, 30% to 40% of Tennessee businesses have excluded terrorism coverage from their policies.
A 2002 federal law — enacted by Congress shortly after the 9/11 attacks — allows the Treasury secretary to certify an event as an terrorist act regardless of how law enforcement officials regard it. To date, the Treasury has never done so, including after the 2013 Boston marathon bombing and the 2017 Las Vegas Strip mass shooting, Schupp said.
Furthermore, domestic terrorism can be challenging to define, especially when it comes to prosecution. Though there is a definition in the U.S. criminal code, there is no federal domestic terrorism statute, meaning that Justice Department prosecutors must turn to other crimes such as explosives charges to prosecute acts that might otherwise be thought of as terrorism.
The Nashville bombing occurred well before downtown streets were bustling with Christmas activity. Police were responding to a report of shots fired when they encountered the RV blaring a recorded warning that a bomb would detonate in 15 minutes. The audio then switched to a recording of Petula Clark’s 1964 hit “Downtown” shortly before the blast.
Investigators have not uncovered a motive, but they have learned that Warner may have believed in conspiracy theories, including the idea that shape-shifting reptiles assume human form to take over society. He also discussed taking trips to hunt aliens, officials said.
The FBI has confirmed that Warner sent materials about his views to people he knew, but investigators have not released details about what the packages contained.
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Tucker reported from Washington.
