Man arrested after series of toilet bombings at San Antonio Wash Tub carwashes

A local man was arrested last week for a series of toilet bombings at San Antonio-area Wash Tub carwash locations, the Express-News reports .

The first two incidents reportedly occurred July 19 and 20 in Helotes. However, police weren’t involved until a similar attack happened July 26 at the Wash Tub location at 1534 N. Loop 1604 East, according to the daily.

In that incident, carwash employees called the cops after hearing suspicious noises from the women’s restroom, the Express-News reports. When police arrived, a woman employed by the business told them she heard a loud bang when she sat on a toilet seat and immediately felt pain in her right thigh and buttocks. She also suffered minor burns, according to the newspaper.

Talk about lighting a fire under someone’s ass. Literally .

After investigating debris left at the crime scene, SAPD determined the bombs were made of snap fireworks — small powder bundles that explode when hurled against the ground. Pressure on the lid of rigged toilet seats at the Wash Tub locations would trigger the fireworks, resulting in small explosions, according to authorities.

Police used surveillance footage to identify 46-year-old San Antonio-area man Paul Moses Alden as the culprit, the Express-News reports.

Alden was arrested and charged with arson causing reckless damage to a building or causing bodily injury or death, according to the newspaper. He was released after posting $50,000 bond, the story noted.

However, this reportedly isn't Alden’s rodeo with explosives.

Bexar County records show the man faced a previous arson count in 1995, according to the daily.

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