Back in December, we reported on a huge fire — likened to a nuke going off — that destroyed an apartment building under construction in downtown Los Angeles. The fire was immediately ruled suspicious and the Los Angeles Police Department began an investigation.
This investigation led to 56-year-old Dawud Abdulwali of South Los Angeles who was arrested Tuesday morning and now faces numerous charges related to the blaze that caused millions of dollars in damages:
Man, 56, arrested in connection with downtown Da Vinci arson, officials say http://t.co/fblJsUNgay
— LA Times CA Politics (@LATpoliticsCA) May 28, 2015
“He's pretty quiet. He keeps to himself." Suspect in massive Da Vinci blaze arrested. http://t.co/XPJg2VjoDU
— Jesse Katz (@byjessekatz) May 28, 2015
But what’s curious is that the unit that arrested Abdulwali was the LAPD’s anti-terror division:
Arrest made by LAPD Anti-Terror Dept. in downtown DaVinci complex arson case – $100M in damages http://t.co/6FdUUJGTB2 #Predictions
— Jamison Twins ? (@PSYCHICTWINS) May 28, 2015
According to the Los Angeles Times, the anti-terror cops arrested Abdulwali during a traffic stop:
Dawud Abdulwali was detained Tuesday morning by the Los Angeles Police Department’s anti-terrorism division on a traffic violation and later booked on suspicion of arson of a structure and aggravated arson. He is being held on more than $1-million bail and is expected to be formally charged Thursday, according to a spokesman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
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And:
Officials were tight-lipped about what may have motivated the setting of the fire. Saying they did not want to jeopardize the prosecution’s case, investigators did not reveal what led them to Abdulwali or what allegedly tied him to the blaze.
Little is known of Abdulwali, who may have used the alias Timothy Roston. Abdulwali rented a back room in a South L.A. house, according to his landlord, Poleth Chavez. In December, about the time of the fire, he paid two months’ rent upfront and left, saying he was heading to San Francisco, Chavez said.
More information please. Who exactly is Dawud Abdulwali and why was the anti-terror division involved?
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Related:
‘Looks like a nuke went off’: Massive fire strikes downtown Los Angeles [photos, Vines]
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