Man accused of lighting gas can under FOX 13 vehicle faces attempted arson charge

A FOX 13 news vehicle is shown with a small gas can with a fuse running from it placed behind it. The image was included in a federal complaint accusing Christopher Solomon Proctor of attempted arson and possession of a destructive device. (United States District Court)

A Salt Lake City man faces federal charges of attempted arson and possession of a destructive device after investigators say he placed a gas can underneath a FOX 13 news vehicle and lit a fuse that ran into it.

Christopher Solomon Proctor, 45, was indicted Sept. 30 in Salt Lake City’s U.S. District Court, with the complaint unsealed earlier this month, court records show. Proctor is in custody in Salt Lake County Jail; his attorney did not respond to a request for comment.

According to the indictment, security footage captured a person dressed in dark clothing and possibly a mask setting the gas can under the rear bumper of the parked news vehicle at about 4:10 a.m. on Sept. 12, trailing out a long fuse, and lighting it before hurrying away. The fuse burned for almost five minutes before going out without igniting the gas can. 

Of the three DNA profiles found on the gas can, DNA on the can’s ring was matched to Proctor through Utah’s State DNA Index System database, according to the indictment. Court documents do not say who the additional profiles belong to or whether they were identified.

An acquaintance of Proctor told investigators that Proctor told him he had set a destructive device and lit the fuse under a “fox news” vehicle but that it didn’t detonate, the indictment states. 

The security footage showed that the person who left the gas can wore distinctive split-toe boots, investigators wrote. Online purchase records showed Proctor purchased “Ace Martial Arts Supply Ninja Tabi Boots, Black Jikatabi (Outdoor Tabi)” online in August, along with flame-resistant gloves, the indictment says.

Those boots and gloves were found when investigators searched Proctor’s home, according to the indictment, along with a small gas can with a hole drilled in the lid and a multicolored fuse similar to the one found at the scene.

Law enforcement last month announced they had arrested two other men, Adeeb Nasir, 58, and Adil Justice Ahmed Nasir, 31, in connection with a search warrant served at their Magna home as part of the investigation into the explosive device left under the news vehicle. They are not mentioned in the federal charges against Proctor.

Adeeb Nasir and Adil Nasir each face two counts in Utah’s 3rd District Court of manufacturing, possessing, selling or using a weapon of mass destruction, second-degree felonies, after investigators said they found fake dynamite while searching their home, and the men allegedly told them it was real.

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