A man accused of setting a woman on fire on a Chicago train faces a federal terrorism charge

Federal authorities have charged a Chicago man with carrying out a terrorist attack after he allegedly doused a woman with gasoline and set her on fire aboard a CTA Blue Line train earlier this week.

According to an affidavit from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, investigators say 50-year-old Lawrence Reed was sitting in the back of a train car Monday evening when he approached a 26-year-old woman sitting in front of him. After removing the cap from a plastic bottle, Reed “doused the woman with what was believed to be gasoline,” the affidavit said.

Surveillance footage showed him at a gas station about half an hour earlier, filling a small container with fuel.

When the woman tried to walk away, Reed reportedly lit the bottle, approached her again and set her on fire. Witnesses said the train car erupted into chaos as passengers rushed to escape the flames.

The woman managed to stumble from the train at a downtown station and fell onto the platform. She was taken to hospital with severe burns to her head and body and remains in critical condition. Police have not released her name.

According to CNNReed, who fled the scene, was arrested Tuesday morning. Investigators said he was wearing the same clothing as seen in the surveillance video and “made incriminating statements regarding the attack.” On Wednesday in federal court, Reed repeatedly disrupted the hearing, shouting, “I plead guilty!” while insisting he wanted to represent himself and at one point claiming he was a Chinese citizen, according to local reporters.

Prosecutors say Reed committed the attack “with the intent to cause death and great bodily harm” on a public transportation system, a charge that carries a possible life sentence. Federal documents also state that during an argument with the victim on the train, Reed allegedly shouted, “burn alive, b****!” before you set her on fire.

Reed’s extensive arrest history has raised questions about how he remained free. It is currently unclear whether any prosecutions will follow.

The attack drew comparisons to the recent fatal stabbing on a commuter train in Charlotte, where federal prosecutors accused a man of killing 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska. Among those making connections was U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy.

The Chicago Transit Authority said it is fully cooperating with investigators and emphasized that its security strategy includes surveillance cameras throughout the system.

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