A man suspected of leaving "Molotov Cocktail"-style incendiary devices at a subway station in Los Angeles was arrested Monday.
Frederick Brown, 50, was detained at the MTA MacArthur Park Red Line station near 6th St. and Alvarado St. and was being held with no bail, according to jail records. Police said he had two replica handguns at the time of his arrest.
There was no evidence of a terrorism motive, authorities said.
Brown was booked in jail on suspicion of being in possession of a destructive device, the legal definition of a bomb, and a parole violation.
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Officials said Brown was suspected of leaving three homemade devices containing liquid that had the odor of gasoline on the Red Line station platform at Vermont and Santa Monica Blvd. last Friday.
MTA released a statement Wednesday that said:
“We thank and congratulate LAPD for working closely with Metro personnel and contract security to foil this grave threat as well as to quickly investigate and apprehend a suspect. It is proof that, working together, our safety and security partner team can successfully thwart a potentially dangerous incident on the transit system."
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"This incident serves as a stark reminder that we all must continue to be hyper-vigilant in observing and reporting suspicious activity whenever and wherever we see it on the Metro system. Our customers play a key role in this partnership. If you see something, say something. Riders are encouraged to report any suspicious activities by calling Transit Watch at (888) 950-SAFE or by using Metro’s Transit Watch App available on iPhone and Android platforms.”
The LAPD said it believes Brown also called the FBI last Thursday and claimed he was being stalked by gang members, was armed with pipe bombs, and was prepared to use the bombs to defend himself.
Brown also allegedly placed an anonymous call to LAPD operators Friday to report that a person had been seen placing bombs at the subway station.
