Fake-Bomb Suspect Is Released on Bail

A 23-year-old man arrested after he placed what looked like a bomb inside the Department of Motor Vehicles in Fullerton was released from jail Tuesday after he posted bail, officials said.

Farshad Rezai of Fullerton was being held on suspicion of placing a fake bomb in a public place to cause fear.

He was released from Orange County Jail, said California Highway Patrol Officer Debbie Sparso. Because the DMV is a state agency, the highway patrol is handling the investigation.

Police were called to the DMV office on Valencia Boulevard about 2:30 p.m. Monday after Rezai entered the building and placed his hat and a metal object on a chair, Sparso said.

A man who sat beside him reported Rezai to DMV employees after he noticed wires protruding from the metal box, police said.

About 200 customers and employees were evacuated from the building, which remained closed until 5 p.m., police said.

The Orange County Bomb Squad determined that the box was a green metal pedestrian crosswalk switchbox. “When you compare it to a bomb called ‘toe poppers,’ it’s very similar,” Sparso said. When questioned, Rezai “was pretty vague about everything and had no reason to be at the DMV,” she said.

But his older brother, who would not give his name, said his brother recently graduated from UC Berkeley with a biology degree and was at the DMV to get proof of his good driving record so he could apply for a job.

He said his brother does not belong to terrorist groups. “He’s a good kid,” the brother said. “He’s Middle Eastern, and a lot of Middle Easterners are being targeted. But obviously they didn’t have reason to keep him in jail, and it was all a big misunderstanding.”

The state Anti-Terrorism Information Center is investigating.