A guy has been charged with terrorism for allegedly setting a woman on fire on a Chicago train.
Lawrence Reed, a Chicago resident, was charged on Wednesday, Nov. 19, with “committing a terrorist attack against a mass transportation system,” according to a statement from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois.
While investigators initially assumed there had been an argument between the suspect and the victim, the criminal complaint and statement from the United States Attorney’s Office make no mention of such an argument.
“The charge is punishable by a maximum sentence of life in federal prison,” the statement read, before confirming Reed’s, 50, initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Laura K. McNally on November 19.
The attack occurred shortly before 9:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 17, while the 26-year-old woman was traveling a CTA Blue Line train near the Clark and Lake station in Chicago’s Loop district, according to NBC 5 Chicago, ABC News, and CBS affiliate WYMT.
Reed allegedly approached the woman when she was seated on the train with her back to him. He then “took the cap off a bottle of liquid and poured the liquid all over the victim’s head and body,” according to the lawsuit.
Police claim the victim attempted to flee, but Reed caught up with her and ignited the bottle before it slid out of his grasp. According to the complaint, he then allegedly took up the burning bottle, approached the victim, and lit her on fire with it.
The victim, who has not been publicly recognized, was engulfed in flames but eventually managed to leave the train. She is still in the hospital with “critical injuries,” according to prosecutors.
The original criminal complaint and Reed’s arrest were announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.
“This horrific attack was not just a barbaric assault on an innocent woman riding a train, but an act of terrorism that strikes at the core of our American way of life,” Boutros told reporters in a news release. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago, together with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, will take immediate and resolute action to bring swift justice to the victim while safeguarding the public as well as the fabric of our society.”
