California explosion: Police arrest ex-boyfriend of victim after finding '130 pounds of explosives'

Man has not been charged in connection with the explosion

This image taken from cellphone video shows a building after a fatal explosion in Aliso Viejo, California (Raul Hernandez via AP)

California authorities have arrested and charged the ex-boyfriend of a woman killed in an explosion at the day spa they had opened together.

Federal prosecutors charged 59-year-old Stephen Beal with one count of possessing an unregistered explosive device. He has not entered a plea, and he was not charged in connection with the death of Ildiko Krajnyak, the 40-year-old woman who died in the blast.

He was identified by authorities as the co-owner, with Ms Krajnyak, of the spa. They were romantic partners but the relationship deteriorated “due to disputes over the exclusivity of the relationship and financial issues”, according to a federal complaint. The document said Mr Beal continued to pay the business’s rent and a chunk of its operating costs.

Earlier this week a brown cardboard box exploded soon after Ms Krajnyak opened it, according to the complaint. The blast injured two other people, blew open the spa’s ceiling and projected shards of shattered windows into the parking lot.

Authorities said soon after that they believed the blast was no accident and had been caused by an explosive device, a contention the complaint reiterates.

“Evidence collected from the blast site suggests that the explosive incident was intentional”, the complaint said.

Investigators found two completed improvised explosive devices and three firearms during a search Mr Beal’s residence in Long Beach, a city south of Los Angeles, according to an FBI agent’s affidavit.

They also found materials that could be used to construct bombs, including approximately 130 pounds of explosive material and e-matches and tubes that are “all known to be chemical precursors and component parts” of improvised explosive devices.

The complaint alleges that Mr Beal told agents the materials were for model rocket building, a hobby he had not pursued since 2004. He also said he had built a small explosive device “to assist with his neighbour’s gopher problem”, according to the document.