Hebron resident Mohanned Qawasme, 27, was indicted Sunday in Jerusalem District Court in connection with torching the VIEW events Center in the capital in revenge for being fired.
Qawasme was indicted on charges of arson, resisting arrest, illegally entering Israel, identity theft and forging documents, the District Attorney’s Office announced in a statement.
The indictment by the Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office came in connection with the August 9 arson attack on the VIEW Events Center in the Talpiot section of the capital.
Court documents accuse Qawasme of igniting fire in an oil tank area used for storage next to the events center. According to the documents, Qawasme torched the center in revenge for having been dismissed as an employee at the center some three months earlier.
The blaze caused hundreds of thousands of shekels in damage to the contents of the storage area.
One of the employees at the center noticed the flames and called the fire department in time for firefighters to extinguish the blaze before it could spread to nearby buildings.
Meanwhile, Qawasme had already begun employment at a different events center in Jerusalem, according to court documents. When he saw police approaching, he tried to escape, but was caught by officers at the scene, the indictment alleged.
The district attorney’s office requested in the indictment that the court extend Qawasme’s remand until the conclusion of the trial.
