Former boyfriend of California blast victim arrested

ALISO VIEJO, CALIF. — A former boyfriend of a woman killed in a California office building explosion has been arrested on suspicion of possessing an unregistered destructive device, the FBI said Thursday.

The arrest of Stephen Beal, 59, followed a search of his Long Beach residence by authorities, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said in a statement.

He was not being held in connection with Tuesday’s explosion and was expected to appear in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana later Thursday.

Beal, a rocket enthusiast and actor in several short films, had been in a relationship with Ildiko Krajnyak — the woman killed in the explo- sion — but they had recently broken up, according to his son, Nathan Beal.

He and his father build sport rockets, which are fueled by a propellant called hydroxyl-ter- minated polybutadiene, that Nathan Beal said is commer- cially and legally available at specialty hobby stores.

Asked about the FBI allega- tion that his father possessed a destructive device, Nathan Beal said, “That seems highly unlikely.”

Authorities have not disclosed what kind of explosive material was used in the blast.

The biggest of the father-son rockets used about 5 pounds of fuel divided among multiple motors, he said.

“Probably what they found were motor cases made out of aluminum,” he said.

State documents show Stephen Beal and Krajnyak as officers in a skin care busi- ness called I&S Enterprises.

Authorities have declined to publicly say if they believed the victim was the target of the blast.

But one official briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press the woman had been the intended recipient of an explosive package. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to disclose details about the investigation.

Remnants of a device were found inside the badly damaged spa where the powerful explosion shook the city of Aliso Viejo, about 50 miles south of Los Angeles. The blast tore a corner off the building that houses medical offices. Two patrons were seriously injured.

“We do not believe this was an accident,” said Paul Delacourt, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s field office in Los Angeles. “Although the damage was extensive, there are some components that we have located at the scene of the explosion that are inconsistent with what one might expect to find at this business.”

Laszlo Krajnyak said from his home in Tiszaujvaros, Hungary, that his sister had been visiting him and had left the country days before the blast. Nearly choking up at times, he said he had visited his sister for two weeks last month to help her with her business. He said he heard of the bombing from news coverage.

Stuart Davis, who lives a few doors down from Beal’s home in Long Beach, said he often saw Beal and his adult son working on large rockets on their front lawn. The son told Davis they built movie props, he said.

“I’d come home from home sometimes and there would be rockets, but big, like something you’d see in a movie,” Davis said.