Tuesday's deadly blasts in Brussels shine the spotlight on Molenbeek, a poor suburb of Belgium's capital city that has long been a hotbed of Islamist extremism, NBC News reported.

Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam was nabbed in Molenbeek during a raid on Friday, and on Tuesday, explosions rocked the city's metro stations and the international airport, killing at least 15 and wounding dozens more.

Young people who feel like they don't belong in Europe are turning to radical Islam, experts have warned, likely laying the foundation for the region's recent string of attacks.

"We are breeding a generation of kids who are estranged from their own societies," U.K.-based expert on radicalization Bill Durodie said.

With a population of just 11 million, tiny Belgium has the highest number per capita of militants fighting in Syria and Iraq, many of whom are from Molenbeek, according to experts.

Facebook activated its Safety Check feature Tuesday morning after explosions in Brussels killed at least 31 people. The feature allows users in a tragedy or natural disaster to mark themselves as safe, and was widely used — and praised — after the Paris shootings attacks last November.

The explosions rocked the check-in zone of Brussels Airport and the Belgian capital's subway. Officials raised the terror threat level, shut down all public transport in the city, and advised locals to stay indoors after what appeared to be coordinated attacks.

The Facebook Safety-Check feature allows individuals to make sure their friends and family know they are safe, even if they cannot connect by phone or in person.  

Hours after the deadly explosions in Brussels, Belgium, officials at San Diego International Airport said they were following heightened security procedures. 

News of the attacks in Belgium broke in the middle of the night, when most Californians were sleeping so it was top of mind for travelers as they arrived for flights at Lindbergh Field’s Terminal 2.

Initially, an airport spokesperson told NBC 7 there were no changes in security. However, as of 9 a.m., more Harbor Police Officers were patrolling inside and outside the airport above an average day, according to spokesperson Jonathan Heller.

Jacqueline Wibowo of San Diego was headed to Florence, Italy with a group of faculty from Stanford. While the violence concerned her, it would not keep her from traveling.

“It's scary of course,” Wibowo said. “There’s a lot of attacks in Europe in general but at the same time I feel like attacks can happen anywhere.”

“Naturally I’ll be a little bit more careful when I’m there but I’m trusting that I’ll be with a good group of people,” she added. “I’ll be OK.”

Travelers catching departing flights should not experience any additional security measures, according to a Lindbergh Field spokesperson. That may change later in the day when more staff arrives, NBC 7 was told.

In Belgium, Americans were advised to avoid public transportation following explosions at the Brussels Airport and a metro station Tuesday.

The U.S. embassy in Belgium noted Tuesday that with the threat rating in Brussels at its highest alert, attacks can take place with little or no notice.

“It's frustrating and also scary at same time,” Tracy Brown of San Diego said.  “Because you don't know when it’s going to happen next or where it’s going to happen next or who it’s going to happen to.”

U.S. officials are urging U.S. citizens who are in Belgium to monitor media reports, follow instructions from the authorities, and "take the appropriate steps to bolster your personal security."

Three Quinnipiac University students who were at the airport in Brussels, Belgium when two blasts went off early Tuesday morning saw a firey explosion and said they are shaken up, but safe, and at the U.S. Embassy in Brussels.

Cate Duffy, 19, of Natick, Massachusetts, Lauren Cleary, 19, of Abington, Massachusetts, and Monica Hall, 19, of Sutton, Massachusetts have been studying abroad in Cork, Ireland this semester and are on spring break, so they were heading from Brussels to go to London to see an Adele concert, when the attacks happened.

"We were probably there for about 10 minutes and we were at the check-in line, waiting to get our tickets, and we heard one of the bombs go off, but we didn't see it and we didn't really realize what was going on," Duffy said.

Then, before they could process what happened, the second explosion went off -- right in front of them.

"It was huge. It was like a fire explosion. It shook the floor. The ceiling started falling. At that point, everyone just started running and screaming," Duffy said.

As chaos ensued, the students stayed together and got out of the airport, but Hall lost her bags and everything but her identification, tickets, a journal and her camera.

They ran until they saw a father and son in a car, waved them down and asked for help to get away from the airport.

"We all just piled into the back of his car," Cleary said. "All of us were just kind of freaking out and called our parents to tell them what is happening."

Once they arrived at the U.S. Embassy, the students said they went through some questioning.

"When we got to the U.S. Embassy and we finally got in, they closed the place down to the public," Hall said.

After waiting, a man took them to the cafeteria, gave them lunch and spoke with them and took notes, Hall said. The FBI later asked them to map out what happened.

Another Quinnipiac student, Madeleine Harder, a 20-year-old junior from Baltimore who is studying abroad in Belgium this semester, was at her internship for a media training company when the attacks happened and said she saw what happened on Twitter.

"I saw the story breaking on Twitter and them my boss got a phone call and we both looked at each other, and this was originally with the airport bombings, and we were really nervous and then we just sat there, glued to Twitter as everything was happening," she said.

She had to walk home from her ownership and other people were outside as well.

"It seems pretty somber, but people weren't completely locked up in their houses or apartments," she said.

Harder's family is visiting for the week, so she is with them and said it's comforting to have them close.

Quinnipiac University, located in Hamden, serves 6,784 full-time undergraduate and 2,884 graduate and part-time students, according to the university.

At least 31 people were killed Tuesday morning in what appear to be a series of coordinated attacks at the airport and subway, NBC News reports. Eleven people were killed at the airport, while 20 died at the subway station. More than 200 were injured.

The first blast hit the departure section of the airport around 8 a.m. local time, or 3 a.m. ET. Minutes later, a second blast shook the airport. One explosion occurred in Departure Hall 1, used by international carriers including American Airlines.

American Airlines said in a statement Tuesday all airline employees and crew members were accounted for and passengers affected by the Brussels Airport shutdown would be re-accommodated.

Less than an hour later, a subway car was hit by an explosion.

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U.S. travel officials, airlines and law enforcement officials are on alert after a bombing at the check-in zone of Brussels Airport and the Belgian capital's subway killed at least 31 people Tuesday.

The Transportation Security Administration is checking on the safety of federal air marshals who were on duty at the Brussels airport Tuesday morning or on inbound or outbound flights.

The border between France and Belgium was closed and all Eurostar train service to Brussels was halted.

However, as long as passengers weren't trying to get to Brussels, the actual ripple effect on travel appeared to be minimal with few slowdowns for American skies.

Police on Long Island say they're investigating a video showing an officer punching an intoxicated woman in the head after she bit him in the hand. It happened while authorities were responding to the report of domestic dispute at her home over the weekend.

The 21-year-old woman, identified as Daniela Hernandez, is shown on video being restrained on a stretcher after Suffolk County police arrived at her husband's Brentwood home on Madison Avenue Saturday.

Police had been called there on the report of a domestic dispute, and the screaming woman is shown resisting as officers and paramedics try to put her on the stretcher. 

A neighbor recorded the confrontation between Hernandez and police from an upstairs window. 

Hernandez admitted she had been drinking but also told NBC 4 New York Monday her cries were ignored as she told police she suffers from asthma. She said she was held down and her face was covered.

Hernandez said she tried to release herself from the pressure of the officer's grip so she could breathe and bit his hand. The video shows him responding with force, punching her several times in the head. 

"Stop biting me!" he says in the footage, while hitting her.

Hernandez showed her bruises Monday, but asked that her face not be shown during the interview. 

"I was telling him, 'I can't breathe, I'm suffocating, I can't breathe,'" she said. 

"I think it was too much for just one girl and two officers. I mean, how strong can I be? You can't hold me down with one officer?" she added. 

Her mother, Maria Hernandez, said, "It was scary, very scary. My daughter, she have asthma."

The woman's brother, Marlon Hernandez, said first responders attacked her "from the beginning."

"They didn't even let her speak or nothing, they just went toward her and got aggressive with her," he said. 

Daniela Hernandez was arrested on charges of second-degree harassment and second-degree assault. 

The officer who was bitten was treated and released from a local hospital. Suffolk County police would only say in response to the video they are actively investigating the case.

The five people running for president of the United States were at odds Tuesday over how to squelch the terror threat at home and abroad after a string of deadly attacks rocked Belgium's capital city, killing at least 31 and injuring dozens.

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz said in a statement Tuesday the U.S. must secure its southern border "to prevent terrorist infiltration." The senator from Texas warned that Europe is "seeing what comes of a toxic mix of migrants who have been infiltrated by terrorists and isolated, radical Muslim neighborhoods."

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"We need to immediately halt the flow of refugees from countries with a significant al Qaida or ISIS presence," Cruz said in the statement. "We need to empower law enforcement to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized."

Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, called Cruz's statement "frightening" and "really astounding."

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"These candidates say these things, but what does that actually mean?" Hooper said. "What is a Muslim neighborhood? How many Muslims have to be in a neighborhood before it becomes worthy of checking papers and kicking in the doors of homes and businesses?"

Hooper added that anti-Muslim bigotry has "almost become a litmus test to be in good standing in conservative circles."

In an earlier statement, Cruz blasted President Barack Obama's handling of the terror threat and vowed to eradicate ISIS if elected.

"We will name our enemy — radical Islamic terrorism. And we will defeat it," Cruz said. [[373056831, C]]

Republican front-runner Donald Trump, who has often stated his intent to build a wall along the Mexican border, said on NBC's "Today" show he would be "very, very tough on borders" if he were president.

"And I wouldn't allow certain people to come into this country without proper documentation," he explained.

Trump also said the government should "be able to do whatever they have to do" to obtain information from Salah Abdeslam, a suspect in November's Paris attacks who was arrested just days ago in Molenbeek, the Brussels suburb targeted Tuesday.

"Waterboarding, if it was up to me, would be fine," Trump said, adding he would permit "a lot more than waterboarding."

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The billionaire businessman earlier reacted to the attacks on Twitter, recalling "how beautiful and safe Brussels was" and urging the U.S. to be "vigilant and smart."

Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, appearing on MSNBC, said closing borders is not the answer.

"I think there are a lot of things we have to do to intensify our efforts. I think closing our borders is not one of them," Clinton said. "I think that even if we were to build a tall wall around the entire continental United States, the Internet would still get over it, and so our challenge is to have a united effort to defend our country, protect against terrorist attacks."

Clinton emphasized the importance of working closely with allies in Europe and the Middle East with the "clear objective of defeating ISIS."

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"I think the way to do that is to deprive them of territory in Syria and Iraq, to stop the flow of foreign fighters, arms, weapons, and to take them on on the Internet, which they use in quite a sophisticated way," Clinton said.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich blasted Obama's response to the Brussels attacks, criticizing the president for remaining in Cuba to attend the country's first Major League Baseball game in 20 years. Obama arrived in Havana over the weekend for a historic visit to mark improving relations between two countries long at odds.

"I'm a little surprised that the president is going to a baseball game," Kasich said during a press conference Tuesday afternoon. "Had I been president, I would have cut short my visit, I would have flown home."

In a phone interview with MSNBC, the GOP candidate warned of "big gaps" in counterintelligence and urged the president to address them.

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"I think he ought to return home, he ought to work with the heads of state around the world, they ought to assemble teams, and they ought to examine the vulnerabilities we have," Kasich said of the president. "Because without effective human intelligence, without coordination and cooperation among all the civilized nations, we get these gaps, and these gaps get exploited by these people who are intent on killing civilized people."

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Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is running for president as a Democrat, said in an interview with NBC there "needs to be improved intelligence sharing" between the U.S. and its allies abroad, along with "effective monitoring of social media to stop the recruiting efforts of young people who are being led into the terrible life of terrorism."

"We need to forge a coalition of the Muslim countries in the region, including some that have not been as active as they should be, with the support of the United States and other major powers, to finally destroy this barbaric organization," he said.

Sanders expressed his support for the victims in a Twitter statement Tuesday morning.

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San Diego-based Scripps Health will lay off 69 employees from its human resources and marketing departments this summer, according to the hospital’s president and CEO Chris Van Gorder.

The hospital system today confirmed an earlier report that Van Gorder announced the layoffs in a company memo last Tuesday.

Scripps Health employs more than 13,000 workers, according to its website, and this marks the first time Scripps has implemented a layoff affecting employees in more than 15 years (since Van Gorder joined the hospital). Van Gorder told the San Diego Business Journal in a 2014 interview that he leads with a “no layoffs philosophy.” These cuts, however, were needed to balance flat revenue.

“With flattening reimbursements even though volume is up, I have to rebase the cost structure at Scripps,” Van Gorder said in an email. “We will be as compassionate as possible with impacted employees.”

All impacted employees will be offered the opportunity to go into the health system's career resource center, where Scripps works with them to find another position at Scripps and offer other support services. Van Gorder said that 1,000 employees have been placed into the career resource center since its inception, and about 90 percent are still with the company.

Many are still keeping vigil at sites in Brussels after terrorist blasts killed more than 30 people earlier in the day.

Around the world, tributes arose, with thousands showing their support for those killed, wounded, and affected by the trio of blasts that hit the Brussels airport and a metro station. In Washington, many visited the Belgian embassy in northwest D.C.

Secret Service police swept the grounds of the embassy Tuesday evening as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson spoke with Belgium Ambassador Johan Verbeke to address any security concerns and offer support.

“It is my desire to be here and express my condolences on behalf of the department,” Johnson said.

People brought flowers to a growing memorial outside the embassy to honor the lives lost in Tuesday’s terrorist attacks in Brussels.

“It was my mother's idea,” said high school student Danny Overcash. “We have family back in Belgium, a lot of family actually. My grandfather was an immigrant during World War II, so we are just keeping them in our thoughts and our prayers during all this horrible stuff that's going on over there right now. “

Evangelist Mary Clement, of Silver Spring, spent almost an hour outside the embassy.

"The people of Belgium were so hurt today,” Clement said. “Everybody is sad."

Verbeke thanked everyone who called, emailed and stopped by the embassy for their thoughts and prayers.

“We are a resilient people,” Verbeke said. “We’ll stand on our feet. And I'm sure that with the strength, not just of our own security service and intelligence community, but also the strength of the International community, we will overcome this, and we will survive."

To stir excitement for his evening rally, dozens of Bernie Sanders supporters marched through the streets of downtown San Diego on Tuesday morning.

The supporters began at the San Diego Civic Concourse before walking to the San Diego Convention Center, where the Democratic presidential candidate is set to speak at 8 p.m.

Wearing T-shirts and holding “Feel the Bern” signs, the voters were aiming to drum up support for Sanders, who trails his rival Hillary Clinton by about 300 delegates.

That didn’t matter to the supporters who turned out Tuesday morning.

“I live about an hour from here to be here,” Carlsbad resident Catherine O’Callahan said. “This is something really big. You know, the message. It’s a political revolution."

Many made colorful appearances. Paul Sasso painted his Tesla into a "Bernie machine," an engine-powered billboard for the candidate.

"My wife and I created this in September and then I drove it around the country the whole month of September," he said.

Then, there Nathaniel Allenby, who was dressed as Uncle Sam and was perched atop stilts for the march. He said he feels Sanders is the one to "beat Trump."

"Bernie has the voice of the people for the people and he's tickling the people's fancy and they are ready to feel the Bern," he said.

There were a few detractors at the march, calling the supporters “socialists,” but they were mainly  ignored.

Sanders’ appearance is part of his West Coast tour. Doors to the convention center open at 5 p.m and the event is free to the public.

Investigators carrying out raids after Tuesday's terrorist attacks in Brussels believe they've found a bomb-making factory complete with chemicals used in explosives, nails and bolts, NBC News reported.

Authorities are still hunting for one of three suspects caught on surveillance video as they pushed luggage carts through the airport. They believe he fled the gruesome, chaotic scene.

"I can understand that people are scared," Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon told NBC News as he visited a makeshift memorial.

"But I can say that our services are now in a high state of alert and are working day and night to arrest these guys."

ISIS claimed responsibility for the morning bombings at the airport and the subway, which killed at least 31 people. U.S. counter-terrorism officials said the claim appeared genuine — and Belgian officials said an ISIS flag was found along with bomb materials in one raid.

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During a press conference after the attacks, the Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel spoke about unity in the face of terror.

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A San Diego woman who died while cleaning up graffiti had parked her tricycle in the street and was not wearing a helmet when she was struck by a car, according to the county medical examiner. 

Maruta Gardner, 68, was with her husband on February 12 around 5:45 p.m. on San Diego Place at the jetty entrance into Mission Bay. 

Gardner had parked her tricycle in the street and was taking a picture of an area she had painted when she was struck by an oncoming car. She was not wearing a helmet at the time she was struck, according to the medical examiner's report. 

The former educator and school principal was known by friends and neighbors as someone who worked to make the community a better place.

Officers with the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) said Gardner was struck by a black Toyota Corolla driven by a 23-year-old man.

She was standing in the street near the curb when the Corolla driver attempted to pass the driver of a white Ford Mustang.  The Corolla sped to the right of the Mustang, driving along the shoulder, and struck Gardner police said.

He turned into a nearby parking lot for a few minutes, and then sped away.

Police stopped the hit-and-run suspect a short distance away and arrested him on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Gardner suffered a skull fracture and was taken to Scripps La Jolla Hospital where the medical team pronounced her dead the next day. 

The medical examiner's report ruled her death as an accident. 

 News of the terrorist bombings in Brussels prompted a departure from Sen. Bernie Sanders' intense campaign focus on domestic issues.

Before leaving Arizona for a Tuesday evening rally in San Diego, the Vermont Democrat briefly met with reporters and said the U.S. and its major allies need to "forge a coalition of the Muslim nations" to make that happen.

"Clearly also there needs to be improved intelligence sharing between the United States and our allies all over the world,” Sanders continued, “(with) effective monitoring of social media to stop the recruiting efforts of young people who are being led into the terrible life of terrorism."

Sanders also rejected calls by some Republicans, including Ted Cruz, for stepped-up surveillance of Muslims in the U.S.

“We are fighting a terrorist organization,” he said, “we are not fighting a religion."

The more familiar ground for Sanders to cover is domestic issues: Wall Street, income equality, universal health care and subsidized college tuition.

His supporters here in San Diego today said they respect his grasp of foreign policy and national security issues.

Some pointed out that he opposed U.S. involvement in Vietnam, Central America and the 2003 invasion of Iraq -- which Sanders blames for the rise of ISIS in a more destabilized Middle East.

"What I believe is what Bernie says -- the people need to be empowered,” Jose Cabellero told NBC 7. “And we can't have a system where America goes in, beats up the bad guys, and then we say 'Okay, now pick up the trash that we left behind'. It doesn't work and it hasn't worked."

But Republican strategists discount Sanders’ depth on foreign policy.

"Bernie Sanders is a smart man; he's certainly capable of getting up to speed on some of the more complex issues,” says GOP consultant Ryan Clumpner. “The problem is, the moment he does that he loses his singular focus on his signature issue which is income equality.

“So he's made a decision not to focus on those issues and not to get brushed up, even though behind the scenes he's working on learning those things."

 At The Little Lion on Sunset Cliffs Boulevard, the Coulon family serves up Belgian-inspired cuisine.

Though they're a continent away from the bombing in Belgium that killed 31 people at the Brussels airport and on the subway, the terror attacks for them are deeply personal.

“I know people there,” said Jacqueline Coulon. “I have loved ones there, so it’s really scary."

Jacqueline Coulon and her sister were born in San Diego, but a majority of their family extended family still lives in Liege outside of Brussels. Their family is okay, they said, but they were still touched by the deadly violence.

“I do have one cousin that commutes to Liege and she's on lockdown at her office right now,” explained Jacqueline. “She doesn’t have a way to get back home tonight and that’s scary.”

The family said their friends have been getting in touch all day, checking to see if the family is safe. 

The Coulons posted to Instagram, saying, "We’re okay...but sick...wishing we could hug the world."

Meanwhile, they keep serving up their Belgian-influenced dishes with a smile. The deadly violence may be a world away, but stays on their minds. 

“I’m actually supposed to go to Europe in a few months,” said Anne-Marie Coulon Ferguson. “So I’m deciding right now. I don’t ever want someone to win and take something away from me. But it definitely makes you wonder what your safety is."

Despite their concern, the Coulon sisters hope people can learn to be open -minded and use the camaraderie and compassion that happens after these horrific events to figure out how to work toward a solution for peace.

Saying terrorist groups continue to plan attacks in Europe, the United States State Department issued a travel alert to citizens Tuesday, warning of the risks posed by traveling in Europe. 

The alert mentions the series of explosions claimed by Islamic State terrorists Tuesday, which killed 31 people.

"Terrorist groups continue to plan near-term attacks throughout Europe, targeting sporting events, tourist sites, restaurants, and transportation," the State Department said in its advisory, which urged vigilance in public places. The advisory expires June 20.

American, United and Delta airlines had canceled or diverted their flights to and from Brussels Airport in the wake of the attack at the Belgian capital early Tuesday morning.

The State Department Tuesday urged U.S. citizens to keep updated from local media sources on travel plans, update family on their travel plans and enroll in the State Department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.

"European governments continue to guard against terrorist attacks and conduct raids to disrupt plots. We work closely with our allies and will continue to share information with our European partners that will help identify and counter terrorist threats," the department said.

All three airlines affected by the airport's closure said they were making accommodations for travelers affected by the cancellations. Each also extended condolences to those impacted by the attacks.

American Airlines had canceled all flights to and from Brussels for Wednesday and Thursday. Delta diverted a flight from New York to Amsterdam in the wake of the attack, and said two flights scheduled to depart the U.S. Tuesday night were canceled.

United canceled its two flights scheduled to depart for Brussels Tuesday evening, which would have left from Washington Dulles International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport, and canceled flights that would have returned to those airports tomorrow, according to a statement.

All American employees and crew members are accounted for, the airline said, and no injuries were reported. Its check-in is located at Row 8 of Brussels airport's departure hall, and that the morning's explosions -- which occurred about 8 a.m. Brussels time -- did not happen at Row 8. 

The Bankers Hill, San Diego man whose life was threatened and car chopped by a machete-wielding attacker spoke exclusively to NBC 7 San Diego, describing the sheer terror he experienced that night. 

After 11 years in the Navy, Avery Marble has some war stories to tell -- but this violent attack is particularly difficult for him to explain.

He says he stopped at a friend's house on the 2200 block of Brant Street Sunday night when a stranger came outside through the front door with a machete and began making threats using racial slurs. 

“The N-word has no power anymore," Marble said. "People use it everyday, everywhere, for every person, place or thing, but when he said it, I guess he was trying to offend me,” Marble said.

More concerned with the machete, Marble forgot the barbs and dodged the blows.

“He was really was trying to get me. He swung. I heard the wind go by,” Marble said.

Marble says the man flattened his left rear tire and smashed the rear window. The impression made in the shattered glass is unmistakably that of a large blade.

“Don't get cut, get out of the way, whatever is going on with him has nothing to do with you,” Marble said, describing what was going through his mind.

Marble and his constant companion Shimsee, a pit bull, ducked in the car and called for help. 

The attacker left when he heard the call for help, Marble said. When police searched the house, the suspect was nowhere to be found.

Marble said he had no warning, no way to defend himself and no idea why or who was trying to kill him with a 2-foot long machete.

“If I had a reason, I would feel better," Marble said. "Maybe if I cussed at him, one day I would feel better, but there's absolutely no reason whatsoever."

Not knowing why weighs much heavier on him then his fear of seeing the suspect again, he said. He has seen the man before in the neighborhood prior to the incident, he said. San Diego Police (SDPD) investigators say they know the suspect's name, but he has not yet been arrested.

“A person like that should not be on the street, they shouldn't be walking around,” Marble said.

Marble is on a disabled veteran’s pension. He has established a gofundme.com page under Avery Marble to help pay for car repairs.

Though the attacker may still be on the loose, Marble says he knows life must still go on. 

Replacing his split tire is just the beginning. 

Sushi lovers got an unexpected reptilian surprise at a Studio City, Los Angeles sushi restaurant when a man brought in his two snakes -- one of which was a 13-foot python that eventually had to be pried out from behind a computer by Los Angeles firefighters.

Customers began complaining on Sunday night when Hiroshi Motohashi, 46, started showing off his small snake at Iroha Sushi of Tokyo in Studio City, LAPD Lt. Jim Gavin told the Los Angeles Times. After employees asked him to take the reptile outside, Motohashi returned with an even bigger snake, authorities said.

The snake owner said, "[Expletive], you guys," then dropped the larger snake in the middle of the restaurant floor and walked out, Gavin said, according to The Times.

When Motohashi wouldn't take his pet outside, employees decided it was time to call in for backup. By the time the fire department arrived, the python had gotten itself stuck behind one of the computers.

One diner was able to capture a video of the officers attempting to wrangle the python out of its hiding spot. By 7:20 p.m., police had arrested Motohashi on suspicion of making criminal threats, a felony.

Motohashi's bail is set at $50,000, and an arraignment date has not been scheduled, officials said.

It was not immediately clear if Motohashi had a lawyer.

Animal control officials took the python away.

WATCH: Diner's video of officers trying to wrangle the snake.

It was later revealed Motohashi, originally from San Diego, was once sentenced to 15 months in jail for unlawfully selling endangered and protected species that were transported from LA to Las Vegas, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

He pleaded guilty to the felony charges in 2004 and was ordered to pay a $3,000 fine.

In September of 1997, Motohashi sold "gila monsters," or Mexican venomous lizards, as well as San Esteban Island chuckwallas, and yellow-headed sideneck turtles, to an undercover agent, the department said.

Motohashi's case was a part of a large investigation that spanned years in Reno, Nevada.

An arrest warrant reveals new details in the investigation into the wife of an internationally known pianist charged with the murder of the couple's children, including that she sought mental treatment and was given a prescription for an antipsychotic before her children were found dead in North Texas.

Vadym Kholodenko, a Ukrainian-born, Cliburn competition winner who plays with the Fort Worth Symphony, arrived at the home of his estranged wife, Sofya Tsygankova, Thursday morning to find her in distress and his children dead, authorities have said.

The arrest warrant added details to the grisly finding: Kholodenko feeling dazed at the sight of his wife "going crazy" and her night gown covered in blood. His children, the document said, were "in bed, and not moving."

After Benbrook EMS took Tsygankova to John Peter Smith Hospital for treatment, officers asked Kholodenko to recall what had taken place that morning.

He said he talked with his daughter Nika and Tsygankova the night before and arranged to take the girls to school. When he arrived at the home the next morning, no one answered the door. He entered using his key and found his wife bleeding and in distress in the master bedroom closet. He then found his children dead and called 911.

In the arrest warrant officers described in detail how and where they found the children, that they could find no pulse and that there were signs of rigor mortis.

Officers later discovered linens soiled with blood in a vehicle parked in the garage -- the linens are believed to have come from the master bedroom where Tsygankova was found. Officers described a large amount of blood around the vehicle. A red suitcase was stuffed under the rear bumper, used as a brace to keep a rag stuffed into the vehicle's tailpipe.  It is not clear whether the engine had been running.

Police said a brown pillow matching the linens from the master bedroom was found in Nika's room, with a small spot of what appeared to be biological fluid on the pillowcase. Police also said there was a brown pillow, with a small spot of what appeared to be biological fluid, partially resting on Michela's head.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's initial autopsies were "inconclusive" and additional testing to determine how the girls died could take several weeks.

An empty prescription bottle for Quetiapine, filled March 16 for Tsygankova, was found on the kitchen counter. Quetiapine is an atypical antipsychotic used to treat the symptoms of schizophrenia or treat episodes of mania or depression in patients with bipolar disorder, according to the National Institutes of Health.

A large butcher knife was found on the patio with blood on the blade and handle. A cleaver was found on the tub in the master bath -- with a large amount of blood on the floor.

Police said three other prescription bottles with Tsygankova's name on them were found next to the knife -- the type of drug and how much remained was not disclosed.

Tsygankova was booked Tuesday into the Tarrant County jail.

Her attorney, Joetta Keene, said she plans to plead not guilty on behalf of Tsygankova at an arraignment hearing Wednesday. Keene declined to comment on the specific allegations of the warrant.

"This is, no doubt, a very heartbreaking case for everyone involved," she said.

Sofya Tsygankova Interviewed at JPS Hospital

At John Peter Smith Hospital, Tsygankova spoke with police and said she thought she committed suicide and that she remembered taking a lot of pills, according to the warrant. At some point during the interview with police she stated that "she didn't want to live."

Police said Tsygankova was then read her Miranda rights, which she allegedly waived. She told police she arrived home at about 8:50 p.m. Wednesday and took custody of the children from her babysitter. The sitter had already put Michela to bed; Nika went to bed at about 9:20 p.m. after speaking with her father.

Tsygankova told police both children were fine when the sitter left and that she was the only person home with them overnight, according to the arrest warrant.

Tsygankova recalled that at some point she went outside with the knife because she "didn't see any future for me and kids."

When the police asked Tsygankova if she knew where her children were, she said she hoped they were with their father. At one point she asked, "Did I do anything bad to my kids?" police said.

She recalled that she thought she put the kids in the car before she hurt herself, but that she was unable to remember any of the details. She "made several mentions of having a bad dream that night, but was unable to elaborate fully," according to the arrest warrant.

She then remembered her husband arriving at the home and asking, "What have you done?"

Anna Grevtseva, a friend of Tsygankova's sister Anna, who lives in Amsterdam, said Sofya Tsygankova had been having a hard time dealing with the divorce had visited the Fort Worth MHMR facility on March 16 and had a history with MHMR.

Benbrook police announced Monday that Tsygankova was to be held on two $1 million bonds for capital murder of a person under the age of 10, a first-degree felony, in the deaths of her daughters.

Tsygankova was discharged from the hospital Tuesday afternoon and immediately booked into the Tarrant County Correction Center. Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson said Tsygankova is undergoing a thorough medical and psychological screening and for now will be housed in a medical unit due to her injuries.

Both Nika and Michela were laid to rest in a private ceremony Monday. A public memorial for the girls was held Tuesday at Arlington Heights United Methodist Church in Fort Worth.

Sofya Tsygankova's Arrest Warrant

Sofya Tsygankova's Search Warrant

The Supreme Court's ability to function as a body without Justice Antonin Scalia will get another big test when the court convenes Wednesday in the battle pitting religious freedom and birth control.

The current eight-judge panel is set to hear its fourth Obamacare-related case, this time involving religiously affiliated nonprofits that are challenging a government provision requiring employers to include contraceptive coverage in their health care plans.

But with a court that's generally evenly divided along ideological lines, without Scalia, a 4-4 tie is entirely possible. That would leave the various lower court rulings in effect — an outcome the high court would rather avoid.

A tie would be especially problematic now because federal appeals courts that previously heard such cases were not in agreement on the issue. Three of the courts ruled for the government, but one ruled in favor of the religiously affiliated groups. A Supreme Court tie would leave that split in place.