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Police have a suspect in custody after a Molotov cocktail-type device was thrown in the Ballston Common Mall mid-day Thursday.
Around 12:10 p.m., a man dropped a 40-ounce beer bottle with a lit wick from the third floor of the mall down into the basement-level food court. The bottle shattered but didn't ignite. The man then fled the scene.
Police took a man matching the description into custody near the Court House Metro Station about 3:20 p.m. after someone reported he smelled like gasoline. A bomb technician inspected his belongings.
Read the original report | More from NBCWashington.com
Authorities found three more bottles on the third floor of the mall. Both the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were assisting local authorities in the investigation.
A hazmat team cleared the scene and said the material in the bottle wasn't hazardous.
Police are working to determine the suspect's mental state and motive. He is being interviewed by local and federal authorities, including the joint terrorism task force. There is no word on his identity yet.
Witnesses said the substance smelled like gasoline, engine oil, or home heating oil News4's Derrick Ward reports. Police said it smelled like gasoline but they had not determined what it was.
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There are no reports of injuries.
The food court shut down, but mall customers weren't required to leave. However, the mall did not let in any new shoppers until about 5:30 p.m., Ward said.
Eastbound Wilson Boulevard was closed at N. Taylor Street for the investigation.
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who cares save yourself some time and money, drop him off the same balcony then drop the last of his 40"s on top, lit of course.
What in hell is going to get set on fire in a food court in a mall. This clown is as dumb as the republicans in America. One of their get out the vote people was caught in Virginia tossing voter registrations. guess they were trying to manufacture some voter fraud on their own since they could not find any to back up their claims of past voter fraud.
Giantego, Republicans, yeah, you might have an arguement to that except this guy was probably an Obama supporter.
Or as dumb as an Democratic administration that does not label the Fort Hood massacre as a "terrorist" attack. The soldiers that were shot are not even eligible for purple hearts because of that label, now that is dumb!
His name is Leon Alphans Traille and the first accounts are that he attempted to firebomb the food court because he was upset over that anti-muslim video. Just another follower of the moon god.
Wet Willy,
"His name is Leon Alphans Traille"
That's a French name. Was he American or a French Muslim or from a former French African colony like Algeria or Tunisia?
no no his name is Stew Pidd
@Giantego, @JohnH-3553959, @harborsideappraisal
I think what you all meant to say was "this guy is as dumb as those idiots that turn every discussion of every nonpolitical article into a political name-calling, party-bashing argument."
Note to two-bit wannabe terrorists: Make sure your Molotov cocktail-like device has something flammable in it before you throw it. That makes it a Molotov cocktail, and also makes it easier on NBC headline writers.
They found three more bottles, for a total of four. He probably decided not to let the booze go to waste before he implemented his grand plan. In his inebriated state, he forgot to add that extra little something to the cocktail. OOPS...
footnote to same...make certain when stealing gas from parked car / truck it isn't diesel......
Not hard to guess
18-35 year old bearded, middle eastern male.
Probably ammish.
Allahu Snackbar anyone?
Take him out to the parking lot and slit his throat.
He probably learned how to do that from reading one of those Tunisian children's books on how to make Molotov cocktails.
Did he shout "Allahu Akbar!!" by any chance?
he wanted to but he was so nervous it came out..allah asshollee........dont look like hes going to make the terrorist hall of fame
Never lived in the DC area, have you?
Garden variety ghetto rat who hopped on Metro for a 2-minute ride to Arlington. Security likely had kicked him out of the mall for panhandling, so he hatched a "plan" to use a bunch of 40s from his stash.
Clearly a cry for help...this man must be shown the milk of human kindness.
Sure, as long as the milk of human kindness takes the form of giving him an unleaded regular shower, and then tossing a match at him.
a boy scout this guy isnt i mean really how hard is it to keep a gas soaked rag lit? and
Ummmm gas perhaps? best check to see who was behind this, he dont look like he could afford 4 FULL 40 once bottles of gas. Who can these days?
probably had styrofoam pellets mixed into it to make cheap napalm, smells a little different from gasoline when mixed, when it ignites it sticks to everything while burning.
Syrians have been using this type of explosive for years.
The thing I don't understand was the liquid smelled like gas, etc. but according to hazmat "wasn't hazardous???"
good news folks as this was deemed only a "minor spill" gas at the pump only rose 75 cants
I was wondering when the price of gas would go up after theis "spill" Somtimes you wonder who is the biggest enemy of this country the terorists or wall street.
Scooter,
You're killing me, especially the note to self on Gas and Diesel!
FALSE ADVERTISING!
Suspect held after 'Molotov' blast at Va. mall
THis was the title, and yet after reading the article you realize there was no blast.
You must have been reading from a site other than this one. This is the headline I read
Suspect arrested after Molotov cocktail-like device clears Virginia mall
Dan...new here?
msn homepage headline;
Atricle headline;
this site pulls that "sensationalism" crap all the time.
Nope not new just not seeing that headline on my MSN homepage just under Editors picks where it reads
Twigs and ashes scattered round (the suspect's ass had left the ground)...he cried most piteously its said as flames crawled up his back and head, a shot was fired with smoke aloft (Macy's announced 15% off) Another scream, a dude was tased (is it true the mall cop got a raise?), this story's done, but anyway...except for guts and greasy stains, the bad guy's gone; the mall remains ATTENTION K-Mart Shoppers.
In order to get those 75 virgins you're supposed to jump off the tier with the bottle dumass
Thought it was 72 instead of 75. Either way, he can have his 72 (or 75) virgins. They'll be of the always-on-the-computer, never-having-seen-sunlight, still-in-mommy's-basement variety.
I stand corrected it is 72 thanks
if it turns out their females can i have the 3 left over?..........................
People keep getting this wrong.
It's not 72 virgins..................It's one 72 year old virgin.
Guns aren't the problem, people are the problem. The proof is in the making. I'm gald to see everyone is ok.
and i thought I was hung over............................
sorry to say but he sure looks like a muslim type terrorist in the picture..
Don't be sorry....
mikey, ... why wud yube sorry for saying the TRUTHHHHHHH??????????????????????????? If he is not an ISHALLLLammmikkkk MHOOOO-hummmmudddy idiot, aah will KISS yur foot!!!
WTF was that............? ............anybody got a gibberish to English dictionary handy?
Hi, Scooter,
I got so frustrated trying to read this guy's comments a couple of weeks ago or so, I just put him on "Ignore."
Got a headache just trying to decipher his code.
According to the actual report, the 'device' did not catch fire, much less cause a 'blast' as stated in the sensationalist initial headline. In any case, Molotov cocktails do not cause a 'blast'. They merely carry gasoline or other flammable liquid to the target and then are supposed to ignite from the flaming rag in the neck of the bottle. Apparently none of that happened, and nobody was even injured. That does not count out the intent to cause such a conflagration, but it didn't actually happen. The writers of these reports need to state the facts, rather than what 'should have happened'.
He should have up-graded to premium
Doesn't whatever ''quality'' brew that comes in 40's kinda smell like gas? I know I'm kinda gassy after my 4th or 5th one.
Malls are macabre post consumerist ruins these days. I'm surprised anyone noticed.
wtf is that really what you got from this?
wow......... how long have you been waiting to say that?
See everybody, Obama is keeping us safe by keeping the price of gas so high that terrorists can't afford to make Molotov cocktails anymore. Keep up the good work Barry, in another 4 years the malls will be shut down and our dictator will complete his master stroke of keeping us completely safe.
i hope they treat this as attempted murder and put him in jail for along time.
This could not happen in NY. It is more than 32oz.
Smelled like gasoline? Relax everyone, it's my mother-in-law's coffee. It's not dangerous unless taken internally.
Blast device? It's a Molotov Cocktail, aka, a bottle of gasoline. The only blast device is this journalists butt after TexMex.
A Molotov cocktail is an incendiary device. It works by burning, not detonating.
Gasoline, in todays world, needs a higher combustable temperature before it will ignite. He would have been better off using kerosene. You may ask, what's the differance between gasoline and kerosene...well, it's a big differance when it comes to combustable temperature options.
What in the hell is going on? This sort of stuff never went on 30 years ago. Why are there so many crazies amongst us?
Just look at his picture. Muslim or some other fruitcake religion for sure. He is another one of those religious nuts from the Middle East mentality that thinks he is going to shut down a mall for what, who knows.
Or like the other religious nut who thought he could shut down the election.
They are so brain washed by their Muslim religion they must not know that they are in our country and here, shutting down the election would be like a God descending on earth. Never going to happen.
The mall guy just wanted to kill someone in the name of that peaceful religion they call Islam.
Ya, every day the peaceful Muslim religion strike again.
Because of immigration.
We have imported so many with a lack of respect or care for our laws and customs, and our government and justice system has allowed so much leeway and so many excuses for them that even American citizens have begun to think that if they can get away with this crap, why can't they.
Once the first crack in a structure is discovered, other cracks filter out from it until the entire structure becomes so flimsy it is useless. That is what has happened to our justice system and our system of law and order.
The only reason people obey the law now is based on the probability of being punished. It no longer has anything to do with common social decency, or even being caught. Being caught is weighed against the probability and severity of the punishment versus the satisfaction and return investment of the crime itself.
If he would be white man who attended a church maybe some 10 years ago, this article would "enlighten" us on more details. We would know his name, name of christian denomination he was part of, name of his church he attended and probably even name of his pastor.
From the picture I asume, it looks like, he is from middle east or some African nation with large Muslim population. But article doesn't even touch the idea of religious affiliation or motive. Just like in yesterday's news, story of "Plot to attack Federal Reserve", the NBCnews did its best not to mention Muslim affiliation of that crazy dude.
This is amazing.
There is something very wrong with news people today.
Another turd-world Islamic pig brought here because of liberalism & multi-culturalism. We need summary executions in this country. Commit, or conspiracy to commit an act of terror...or random act of violence: brought before a 5 judge tribunal, if unanimously found guilty you are executed by firing squad within 72 hrs. !!!!