Backpack full of 'Molotov bombs' found in Texas after series of fires

Police say a routine patrol turned into a major arrest after a series of suspicious fires across a city drew investigators’ attention over three days.

Since 19 February, officers had been looking into several fires reported around the area. The breakthrough came on Saturday night when a patrol officer spotted another blaze at Centennial Park and noticed a woman leaving the immediate scene, according to police via Fox 4.

Officers detained the woman, identified as Jamia Howell, and searched her backpack. Investigators say they found nine homemade bombs along with a lighter and other materials believed to be used to make explosive devices.

Howell was taken into custody and transported to the Commerce Police Department.

Police said she has been charged with arson and possession of a prohibited weapon, adding that further charges could follow with investigation.

According to investigators, Howell admitted to manufacturing and testing so-called 'Molotov bombs' at different locations around the city.

Commonly known as Molotov cocktails, the devices are typically made from glass bottles filled with flammable liquid and fitted with a cloth wick. 

When the wick is lit and the bottle is thrown, the glass shatters and ignites the fuel.

The name dates back to the War of 1939 - 1940 and was coined by Finnish soldiers as a sarcastic reference to Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov, according to a study cited by Harvard researchers.