State Rep. Rick Womick, R-Rockvale, told the State Government Subcommittee that an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) bomb was detonated in Tennessee nearly two years ago. However, there is no record of that ever happening, the Tenn. Department of Safety and Homeland Security (DSHS) and the Shelbyville Times-Gazette said today.
On March 20, while attempting to pass HB 1327, Womick explained what an EMP bomb is — an intense pulse of electromagnetic radiation that will destroy electronics, but not humans — to the subcommittee. It's what he said next that has confused many people:
We had one go off just down outside of Shelbyville. It'll be two years this summer. Nobody knows about it — was in the paper. One day, in a column about that big in the Shelbyville Times. That EMP bomb — made off the internet, suitcase sized — wiped out a 5-mile radius of everything that was electronic. That means your cellphone, telephones, your electronic ignition on your cars, television — anything having to do with electronics is fried. That means there's no communication. A terrorist attack would follow such an EMP blast.
When asked if he remembered such an event, Shelbyville Times-Gazette reporter Brian Mosely said, "We have no record of this happening at all ... Believe me, something like this would be remembered. We've been scratching our collective heads over this claim since last week."
A DSHS spokeswoman told Examiner, "Our department has no record of that event occurring."
EMP bombs exist and there are instructions on the internet for creating them, but no one has come forward to validate Womick's claim. Womick didn't respond to a request for more details about the alleged incident, but his response will be included if it is received.
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