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1h ago

Feds Charge Blue Line Suspect With Mass-Transit Terrorism as Victim Remains Critical

New court transcripts detailing earlier judicial releases despite prosecutor warnings have intensified scrutiny of pretrial monitoring and mental-health gaps.

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Passengers wait for a train in the late afternoon on Nov. 19, 2025, at the CTA Blue Line stop at Clark and Lake in Chicago. A man was charged with setting a woman on fire while she rode a CTA Blue Line train Sunday night as it approached the Clark and Lake stop. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)
Lawrence Reed, 50, faces a federal charge after he poured gasoline on a 26-year-old woman riding a CTA Blue Line train and set her on fire, authorities said. (U.S. District Court)
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Overview

  • Federal prosecutors charged Lawrence Reed, 50, with committing a terrorist attack or other violence against a mass transportation system, a count that carries a potential life sentence.
  • An affidavit cites video of Reed buying gasoline shortly before the attack, surveillance from the train, a partially melted bottle and lighter recovered on board, and his alleged statements during arrest.
  • The 26-year-old victim remains in critical condition at Stroger Hospital, and her family thanked the burn unit and supporters in their first public statement.
  • Reed appeared in federal court Wednesday and was ordered to undergo physical and mental evaluations ahead of a detention hearing scheduled for Friday.
  • Transcripts show judges previously placed Reed on electronic monitoring over prosecutor objections and later expanded his allowed hours, while Mayor Brandon Johnson now urges expedited state transit and mental-health funding as CTA officials point to year-over-year crime declines.