Chicago man arrested for setting woman ablaze on train now facing terrorism charge

The man who set a woman on fire aboard a Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) train earlier this week is now facing a federal terrorism charge.

50-year-old Lawrence Reed has been charged with one count of committing a terrorist attack or other violence against a mass transportation system after the Monday incident.

Security footage captured the attack, which occurred just before 9:30 pm on a CTA Blue Line train. Reed was seen walking through a train car holding a bottle before approaching a 26-year-old woman who had her back to him. He poured the liquid inside the bottle on her head and body and attempted to ignite it.

The woman fought him and ran toward the front of the train as Reed chased her. According to the complaint, he dropped the bottle, picked it up again, and then lit the victim on fire. He ran to the front of the train car where he “stood watching” as the victim’s body was “engulfed in flames.” The woman attempted to extinguish the fire by rolling on the ground. When the train stopped, she exited the car, collapsed, and was assisted by bystanders. Reed also exited and walked away.

Police found the victim on her back with severe burns to her face and body. Investigators discovered a partially melted bottle, a lighter, and “suspected ignitable liquid” inside the train car. The substance was later identified as gasoline that Reed had filled at a gas pump before the attack.

Reed was arrested on Tuesday wearing the same clothes from the incident and had “fire related injuries to his right hand,” according to the complaint. In federal court on Wednesday, Reed repeatedly shouted, “I plead guilty!” according to NBC News.