Police Stumble Onto 2 Homemade Bombs During Brea Traffic Stop

BREA (CBSLA) – A driver is facing felony charges after officers conducting a traffic stop in Brea this week discovered two homemade bombs in his car.

Salah Ali, 47, of Salinas, is charged with several counts of sale, transportation and possession of a destructive device, the Orange County District Attorney's Office reports.

According to Brea police, at around 9 p.m. Tuesday, officers pulled over a Toyota Corolla with expired tags in the area of South Orange Avenue and Imperial Highway. The driver, Ali, also had a suspended license, police said.

During the stop, officers searched the car and found two homemade bombs inside.

The Orange County Sheriff's Department Bomb Squad was called out and rendered the two bombs safe.

There is no evidence at this time that Ali has any ties to a terrorist organization, Brea Police Lt. Adam Hawley said.

He has two prior convictions in June 2003 in Passaic County, New Jersey, for aggravated assault with serious bodily injury and terrorist threats, according to court records.

Ali was arrested and arraigned on Thursday, where he plead not guilty. He is being held on $500,000 bail. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison if convicted.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)