Man Charged With Terrorism For Setting Woman Ablaze On CTA Train: Authorities

CHICAGO — A Chicago man faces a federal terrorism charge after he set a woman on fire on a CTA train in the Loop earlier this week, according to authorities.

Lawrence Reed, 50, is charged with committing a terrorist attack against a mass transportation system, an offense punishable with up to life in prison, authorities said, adding he was set to appear in court Wednesday afternoon.

The incident occurred around 9 p.m. Monday on a Blue Line train in the 100 block of West Lake Street, according to authorities. A verbal altercation preceded the attack on the 26-year-old woman, police have said.

Reed approached the woman, who was seated with her back toward him, and poured liquid all over her head and body, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Illinois. She ran, but Reed caught up to her, ignited a bottle and used it to light her on fire, authorities said.

The woman was engulfed in flames but was able to exit the train, according to authorities, who said Reed fled when the train stopped. The fire was extinguished before an officer arrived, police have said, and the woman remained hospitalized Wednesday with critical injuries.

Reed, who bought gasoline at a gas station and put it in a hand-held container about 20 minutes before the incident, was arrested Tuesday in Chicago, according to authorities.

“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,” U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros said 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.”

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