WAMU 88.5 : News

Filed Under:

Suspect In Molotov Cocktail Attack Appears In Alexandria Court

By: Michael Pope // October 19, 2012
Play associated audio
comments
Police are asking anybody with information about the attack at Ballston Common Mall on Thursday afternoon to call 703.558.2222.
Tim Kelley: http://www.flickr.com/photos/timkelley/3501874653/
Police are asking anybody with information about the attack at Ballston Common Mall on Thursday afternoon to call 703.558.2222.

A suspect is under arrested in Arlington, accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail into the food court at Ballston Common Mall this afternoon during the lunch rush. Leon A. Traille Jr., 29, has been charged with reckless endangerment,  attempted malicious bodily injury by use of fire and use of a firebomb.

Wearing a prison jumpsuit with a bushy beard, Leon Alphans Traille Jr. silently made his first appearance in a federal court in Alexandria.
He refused to answer any of the questions asked by U.S. Magistrate Theresa Carroll Buchanan.

Police say the man dropped a 40 ounce beer bottle containing flammable liquid from the second floor onto the food court shortly after noon, just as the lunch rush began.

"He attempted to light the fuse that he put on there," says police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. "It shattered on the ground, there was no explosion, fortunately."

Three more bottles, also filled with liquid, were found on the second level of the mall.

No one was injured in the attack, but police shut down eastbound Wilson Boulevard and evacuated the mall.

The judge ordered an attorney be appointed to defend Traille. If convicted, he faces a minimum of five years and up to 20 years in prison.

Arts & Culture

NPR

Dan Brown: 'Inferno' Is 'The Book That I Would Want To Read'

Dan Brown, author of the blockbuster The Da Vinci Code, is back with his first novel in four years. Inferno follows academic hero Robert Langdon on a chase through Italy as he attempts to avert a biological catastrophe.

Food

NPR

'Picture Cook': Drawings Are The Key Ingredients In These Recipes

Designer Katie Shelly's upcoming cookbook offers 50 illustrated recipe "blueprints" for basic meals — from simple snacks to more hefty dishes like eggplant Parmesan. She hopes they'll inspire any level of cook to improvise in the kitchen.

Politics

NPR

Immigration Bill Chugs Along, But Some See Deal-Breakers

The bipartisan immigration overhaul proposed by the Senate's Gang of Eight has been the target of scores of amendments. So far, the bill has largely held its own, but its prospects for getting through Congress are uncertain.

Technology

NPR

Book News: Amazon May Be Called Before Parliament Over Taxes

Also: AARP and The Nation join a growing list of ebook publishers; Hilary Mantel on Jane Austen; Anne Applebaum on Sheryl Sandberg.

Leave a Comment

Help keep the conversation civil. Please refer to our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct before posting your comments.