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Asim Kieta, 42,
was arrested late on Saturday in the city's Charlestown section
and charged with possession of an explosive device, arson and
assault with intent to murder, among other counts.
Kieta, a Boston native, is homeless and has an extensive police
record, Police Commissioner William Evans told a briefing on
Sunday. He characterized the act as "deliberate" but said
investigators were still uncertain of a motive.
Police were on high alert nationwide on Friday as Donald Trump
was sworn in as U.S. president. Hundreds of protesters were
arrested in Washington as sporadic violence broke out in the
capital during the inauguration festivities.
"I think it goes to some of the hatred out there, whether it is
because of what has happened across the country, or whether this
was personal with him, because he has had some encounters with
police," Evans said. "I don't know whether it was payback or
not."
Members of the Boston police bomb squad responded on Friday to a
report that a parked police cruiser in South Boston had been
damaged by an incendiary device, described by a spokeswoman as a
propane tank.
When they arrived, officers found the damaged car with evidence
of an explosive device underneath it, the Boston Police
Department said in a statement on Sunday. The vehicle had been
unoccupied.
The squad car sustained minor damage and two police officers
were treated for minor injuries in the incident, it said.
The suspect will appear in South Boston District Court, the
statement said, without specifying a date.
(Reporting by Frank McGurty in New York; Editing by Paul Simao
and Peter Cooney)
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