Cops arrest Disneyland bomb suspect Christian Barnes

POLICE have arrested a 22-year-old Disneyland employee on suspicion of placing a so-called dry ice bomb in a trash can at the theme park.

Nobody was injured in the small blast on Tuesday in the Mickey's Toontown section of the popular park in Anaheim, southeast of Los Angeles.

Christian Baes, described as an "outdoor vending cast member," was arrested late Tuesday on suspicion of possessing a destructive device, said Anaheim police spokesman Bob Dunn.

A resident of nearby Long Beach, Baes was "cooperating" and has told detectives the blast was an "isolated incident with unanticipated impacts," he said. He was being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

This booking photo provided by the Anaheim Police shows Christian Baes, 22, of Long Beach, who was arrested Tuesday, May 28, 2013 for investigation of possessing a destructive device, just hours after an explosion at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., Anaheim police Sgt.

The makeshift device exploded late on Tuesday afteoon in a covered trash can in Toontown, an area of the park aimed at younger children, who can visit the homes of their favourite Disney characters.

The remains of a water bottle were found in the bin indicating it was a "dry-ice bomb," Mr Dunn said. The Toontown area was evacuated for some three hours, although the rest of the park remained open.

Local resident Jonathan Rosario, who was at the park with a toddler, told the Los Angeles Times: "You wouldn't expect situations like that coming to a place like this. That is crazy, that's wild."

"It reminds us, we all need to do our part to be safe," he added.

Disneyland spokeswoman Suzi Brown said: "We take matters like this very seriously and are working closely with local authorities."