Two men to stand trial over fire on asylum accomodation

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Fire

A 27-year-old Algerian man thought to have set his asylum accommodation on fire following a spat over meals served during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, is to appear in court in Dusseldorf on Monday.

The man faces charges of serious arson and he is to appear alongside a Moroccan man of the same age, who stands accused of incitement.

Thirty people were treated for minor injuries following the blaze at the shelter in the Western German City, which housed 282 male asylum seekers at the time.

According to the charges, the main suspect is thought to have been incensed by the fact that residents not observing the fast had been given meals in the morning and afternoon.

During Ramadan, many practising Muslims only eat after sundown.

After an altercation, the Algerian man is thought to have doused a mattress in vodka and set it alight, causing a fire that engulfed the entire canteen in minutes.

The second suspect is thought to have incited the man to light the fire.

The Moroccan national was unhappy with the accommodation and allegedly told the suspected arsonist repeatedly that the residents would be relocated if the building was burned down. (dpa/NAN)

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