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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 5 March 2019

FBI: Meticulous work links deadly bomb to California suspect

By AMY TAXIN and BRIAN First responders thought
MELLEY they were dealing with a
Associated Press car bombing or gas main
ORANGE, Calif. (AP) — A rupture, said Paul Dela-
California man was arrest- court, the FBI’s assistant di-
ed in a spa explosion that rector in charge of the Los
killed his ex-girlfriend last Angeles office.
year after authorities pains- The explosion blew out a
takingly analyzed remnants big hunk of the building
of a bomb they traced to and body parts were found
the suspect, his home and in the parking lot.
car, federal prosecutors Beal — a model rocket
said Monday. hobbyist — was arrested
Stephen Beal, 59, had at the time and released
been arrested shortly after when prosecutors dropped
the bombing last year for a charge against him. Over
investigation of possessing nine months, investigators
explosives, but was freed were able to make the
when prosecutors ques- case by piecing together
tioned whether material fragments from the bomb
found at his home met the that they could connect to
legal definition of a “de- Beal, including a battery,
structive device.” After fur- a wire and boxes similar to
ther tests, Beal was arrested the one that delivered the
Sunday and charged with fatal blow.
malicious destruction of a “While the victim had ex-
building that included a pressed fears about Mr. This May 16, 2018 file photo shows the home occupied by Stephen Beal in Los Beach, Calif.
death, a charge that could Beal and he possessed ma- Associated Press
carry a life sentence. terial that could be used from last year. Steve Young, a friend and up, but remained business
Ildiko Krajnyak, 48, was to manufacture a bomb, it At the time, investigators neighbor, said he does not partners at the spa where
killed and two female cli- was forensic evidence col- said they found two impro- think Beal is capable of she was a licensed cosme-
ents were severely wound- lected at the scene, ana- vised explosive devices, harming anyone. tologist.
ed May 15 when she lyzed and pieced together three firearms and more “I don’t feel that he’s the An affidavit in support of
opened a box that erupt- into a coherent whole that than 100 pounds (45 kilo- type of person that would the arrest said during a vol-
ed in a fiery explosion at allowed us to file this case,” grams) of explosive materi- do this sort of thing,” he untary interview Beal said
the spa in the city of Aliso Hanna said. al during a search that Beal said the romance “cooled” in
Viejo, about 50 miles (80 Delacourt detailed how in- allowed of his house. Beal and Krajnyak split early 2018.q
kilometers) south of Los An- vestigators and personnel
geles, investigators said. at the agency’s Quantico,
“This was a horrific inten- Virginia, lab were able to
tional attack that killed an connect Beal to internal
innocent woman and se- components of a battery
verely injured two others,” found 10 days after the
U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna blast.
said at a news conference The battery part was
in Orange, California. traced to a specific ship-
Krajnyak had told friends ment that arrived in the
she was afraid of Beal after U.S. from China and ended
he made threats following up in a store near Beal’s
their breakup. Beal told in- home. Video showed Beal
vestigators he felt betrayed paying cash for that type
when she told him she was of battery. Investigators
in a relationship with anoth- were able to eliminate oth-
er man, Hanna said. ers who bought those bat-
Authorities suspect Beal, a teries from suspicion.
partner in the salon, deliv- “This was the exhaustive-
ered the bomb to the busi- ness of the effort,” Dela-
ness while Krajnyak was vis- court said.
iting family in Hungary. Beal was ordered detained
Krajnyak had returned after a brief appearance
from that trip and had just in Santa Ana federal court.
finished treating a mother He did not enter a plea
and daughter, who were and is scheduled for ar-
at the front desk when she raignment March 25.
picked up one of three or His lawyer declined to
four cardboard boxes and comment.
opened it. Beal had denied making
The blast knocked the two bombs and said he did not
customers off their feet have material for an explo-
and the older woman told sion as powerful as the one
police it lit “everything on he saw in news coverage,
fire.” according to court records