A guy accused of federal terrorism in the Chicago train attack is ordered to be detained by a federal judge.

Monday night, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in Chicago, a train arrives at the Clark Street and Lake Street Blue Line stop where a man drenched a woman in liquid and lit her on fire.

Prosecutors said Friday that a man with a decades-long criminal history who is accused of lighting a woman on fire aboard a Chicago commuter train was under court-ordered electronic surveillance in an unrelated battery case at the time of the unprovoked attack.

A number of court and law enforcement documents spanning more than 30 years that describe 50-year-old Lawrence Reed's repeated interactions with police in and around Chicago were validated by the information disclosed in Friday's hearing. On Friday, a judge decided to hold Reed in custody until he is tried on a federal terrorism allegation related to the train attack.

The apparent random attack in August that resulted in the stabbing death of another lady on a commuter train in Charlotte, North Carolina, has drawn analogies to the attack on Chicago's Blue Line L train on Monday night. According to investigators, the victim of the Chicago incident was seated on the train looking through her phone when Reed approached her from behind, doused her with gasoline, and lit her on fire a few seconds later.

Reed was taken into custody by police the following morning, and federal prosecutors charged him with one count of terrorist attack, which carries a life sentence. According to the Northern District of Illinois U.S. Attorney, Reed may be executed if the victim passes away from her injuries.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Bond stated during Reed's detention hearing on Friday that Reed has been in and out of the criminal justice system for 32 years, beginning when he was around 18 years old, and has been arrested 72 times. Eight felonies and seven misdemeanors are on his record.

Bond described Reed as a "clear danger to the community" and claimed that his crimes have gotten worse over time.

Bond claimed that Reed is "too dangerous for release" and that "he has been given chance after chance after chance."

More than 60 criminal cases, ranging from traffic, trespassing, and drug possession crimes to more serious accusations involving aggressive behavior, including at least 15 battery and assault cases, have been brought against Reed since 1993, according to information the Cook County Circuit Court gave to the . He was charged with arson in at least two cases.

Reed was under electronic surveillance at the time of Monday's assault due to an ongoing allegation of aggravated battery inflicting grave bodily harm. According to the authorities, he struck a hospital social worker in the face in August, resulting in a concussion and optic nerve bruises. The next court session for Reed in that case is scheduled for December 4. A message requesting comment on Friday was not immediately answered by Reed's public defender in that case.

Although the Cook County chief judge's office declined to comment on the court's decision to release Reed under electronic monitoring in that particular case, it did cite state legislation that explicitly prohibits judges from refusing defendants release prior to their trials.

As of right now, Reed is not being represented by a lawyer in the federal case. During the detention hearing on Friday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Laura McNally gave Reed legal representation, pointing out that a public defender was present and may step in at any time. "I'm representing myself," Reed insisted.

Because he doesn't "feel safe in society," Reed also consented to being held pending trial.

He declared, "I'm a target from society." "Out there, I don't feel safe. I believe that being detained is the best course of action for my protection.

He implored the judge to "make sure I eat" and repeatedly inquired if he would receive three meals a day while in custody.

The attack on the woman was caught on camera inside the train, and cameras on the station platform showed him leaving at a downtown stop, according to investigators who have mostly relied on security footage to support their case. According to an affidavit from a federal Alcohol, Tobacco, Fire and Explosives agent, cameras at a nearby gas station captured Reed filling a small bottle with gasoline just thirty minutes prior to the attack.

According to the affidavit, Reed tried to set the 26-year-old woman on fire after dousing her with gas, but she resisted and fled from one end of the car to the other. Reed pursued her until he was able to light the bottle he had used to transport the gasoline and use it to set the lady on fire.

The victim's name has not been made public by authorities, and her family released a statement on Thursday night requesting privacy "as we focus our attention on her and her recovery."