Seattle: Police arrest suspect in gay nightclub arson attempt

Arson suspect Musab Mohammed Masmari

Early morning on January 1, 2104, a fire broke out at the Seattle gay nightclub Neighbours. Over 750 patrons were present for New Years celebrations. The fire department report said that it appeared that an unknown suspect poured gasoline on a carpeted stairway leading to the second level of a bar and ignited it.

The guests were evacuated in orderly fashion, but clearly this could have been a disaster of not only property damage but massive loss of life.

Seattle police have now arrested the man that some suspect is behind the arson attempt. From Capitol Hill Seattle:

Musab Mohamed Masmari, 30, was arrested Saturday morning as police say he was on his way to the airport. Masmari, who has not been charged with the crime, was booked into King County Jail for arson, according to police. Masmari has been a resident living near Broadway and Roy, but at a recent sentencing hearing he said he had since moved to the Eastside. His Facebook profile lists Benghazi, Libya as his hometown. He was listed as living in Lynnwood in early 2009. CHS learned Masmari has had a U.S. passport since at least 2010. Masmari is scheduled to appear in court Monday for an unrelated assault charge.

The Seattle Police have released this statement:

Seattle Police made an arrest this morning of a 30-year-old suspect wanted for the arson at Neighbours on January 1st. This morning, Seattle Police arrested the 30-year-old man near Seattle as he was enroute to the airport. Detectives from our Arson/Bomb Squad, working along with members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), have been investigating this case since the early morning hours of January 1st. Detectives would like to thank the public for all the tips they have received on the person of interest. Following his arrest, the suspect was interviewed by detectives and later booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of Arson.

Video report below from King5.com

(via JMG)