Boston hoax suspect due in court

BOSTON -- The mother of the man arrested near the Boston Marathon finish line carrying a backpack containing a rice cooker on the anniversary of the 2013 bombings says her son has a mental disorder.

Joie Edson told The Associated Press her son Kevin "Kayvon" Edson has bipolar disorder.

The 25-year-old was arrested Tuesday. He is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Boston Municipal Court. The Suffolk County district attorney's office confirmed his name.

He faces a charge of possession of a hoax device, but authorities say more charges may be added.

The man was stopped late Tuesday by an officer who saw him acting suspiciously, including walking barefoot down the middle of a street, veiled in black, in pouring rain, police Superintendent Randall Halstead said.

The man dropped the backpack and told the officer it contained a rice cooker, he said. The backpack was destroyed.

The incident took place hours after ceremonies to mark last year's Boston Marathon bombings, in which two pressure cooker bombs hidden in backpacks exploded, killing three people near the finish line and injuring more than 260 others.

A second suspicious backpack was determined to have been left behind by a media outlet. According to the Boston Police Department website, the parcel was deemed to be non-explosive, but extra attention was paid due to its proximity to Edson's backpack.

Boston Police Commissioner Bill Evans said he was "troubled" by Tuesday night's incident, but said there was no reason for anxiety to be heightened in the lead-up to Monday's running of the Boston Marathon.

"Runners should be very confident coming to this race that it's going to be safe and secure," he said.

Information from ESPNBoston.com's Scott Barboza and The Associated Press was used in this report.