Musmari, right, and an interpreter at his January 2014 sentencing hearing for a 2013 assault. Musmari’s defense was in court Monday afternoon as a judge determined he should remained jailed while the suspect awaits a decision on charges by the King County Prosecutor’s office. (Image: CHS)
A King County judge ruled Monday afternoon that there is probable cause to continue jailing the man arrested this weekend in connection with the arson fire inside a packed Neighbours nightclub on New Year’s Eve.
The hearing for Musab Mohamed Musmari, 30, comes after he was booked into King County Jail on Saturday for investigation of arson. He remains in jail and is held without bail. He has not yet been charged with the crime. Seattle police arrested the suspect Saturday when investigators say he was on his way to the airport.
According to police, Musmari had a one-way ticket to Turkey and was carrying both his Libyan and United State passports at the time of his arrest outside his home Saturday. Police say “numerous” people called in to identify Musmari as the man seen in images from surveillance video recorded at the club the night of the attack.
The preliminary SPD report also lays out a timeline of the images captured by surveillance before and after the fire inside Neighbours:
A bond hearing was delayed until Tuesday to arrange for an interpreter in the case. County prosecutors will weigh available evidence in determining whether they will charge Musmari and what those charges will be. Continue reading →
Following a month-long investigation, a suspect has been arrested in the New Year’s arson attempt at Neighbours, according to Seattle Police.
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 investigation of 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 has a string of assault and no contact violations in the neighborhood over the last year.
Masmari was scheduled to appear in court Monday for a hearing following his conviction and jail sentence on an assault charge stemming from an incident last summer. Municipal court officials told CHS the hearing was planned to discuss the probation office’s monitoring of Masmari while he received court-ordered mental health treatment. CHS was the only media in the courtroom in mid January when Masmari received what added up to a 30-day jail sentence. Masmari told the judge he intended to participate in a work-release program to allow him to keep his job at a gas station. He was also ordered to undergo a mental evaluation. His lawyer said he planned to appeal the decision. At the time, Masmari declined to speak with CHS under advice of his attorney. UPDATE: The Monday hearing related to the assault case will be postponed, court officials say. CHS has learned Masmari’s attorney has filed an appeal in the case. Meanwhile, a bond hearing for Masmari in the arson case is scheduled for Monday afternoon in what is likely to be a media-stuffed courtroom despite charges not having been filed yet in the case. Following Monday’s bond hearing, the court will release the initial probable cause document justifying Masmari’s incarceration. Masmari is currently held in the King County Jail.
On January 1st, a man poured gasoline over a staircase inside Neighbours and lit it on fire as the nightclub was packed with more than 700 New Year’s revelers. Detectives from SPD’s Arson/Bomb Squad, along with members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, have since been investigating the case.
Masmari’s arrest comes after a month-long investigation that had frustrated some police tipsters who suspected Masmari might be the man shown in security footage. Last month detectives released surveillance images of a man seen acting unusually inside the club as the flames broke out. SPD said the man was a person of interest in the investigation, but would not confirm his identity.
Masmari has a record of Seattle assaults and arrests that increased in frequency starting last spring. Since the January 1st incident, several business owners in the north Broadway area told CHS they have had run-ins with the man.
Last April, Masmari put a cigarette out in a man’s cheek as he entered the Lookout bar, one employee told CHS. “He was trying to come in with a cigarette, and the guy just told him he couldn’t do that, so he put it out in his cheek,” said Stevie Gayle, who was bar tending at the Lookout that night.
A fight broke out outside the bar, but Gayle said Masmari fled before the police arrived.
CHS spoke with a north Broadway business owner familiar with Masmari who said he talked with police after the pictures were released and tips began coming in to SPD’s arson and bomb squad detectives. The Broadway business owner said that he and others were forced to “86″ Masmari from their venues after run-ins in recent months.
Here’s is the report on the arrest from SPD:
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.
With reporting by Bryan Cohen
A north Broadway business owner and others who had run-ins with the man have identified a possible person of interest in the New Year’s arson at Neighbours nightclub. But police would not yet say whether they have questioned the man or if he is a suspect in the case.
The Stranger’s Dominic Holden reported that SPD confirmed Thursday that Musab Mohamed Masmari is the person of interest in the case but detectives would provide no further information.
UPDATE 12:55 PM: In an email to CHS, SPD spokesperson Detective Renee Witt said public affairs has not confirmed Masmari as a person of interest.
“We have not confirmed anything with anyone simply because we don’t have that info. The subject in the pictures that detectives are interested in talking to on the Neighbours arson is just that- a person detectives are interested in talking to. We only name suspects.”
When CHS contacted SPD about the person of interest earlier this week, detectives from the Seattle Police arson and bomb unit told us Wednesday they could not confirm details in the case but that they are still seeking information from the public after releasing still images of a man witnesses said was acting suspiciously inside the club before the fire broke out. Police have not released the video those images were taken from but a representative for the club decided to put the video online last week as the investigation continued to drag on.
The business owner and others CHS has spoken to about the situation say the man is a familiar face for many on north Broadway. Two people familiar with the former Capitol Hill resident said they contacted police immediately after detectives released surveillance images of a man seen acting unusually inside the club as the flames broke out.
CHS has reviewed reported assaults, an obstruction charge and no contact orders against him in a series of recent brushes with the law in the last year.
CHS was in the courtroom last week when Masmari received a 30-day jail sentence following a recent conviction. Masmari told the judge he intends to participate in a work-release program to allow him to keep his job at a gas station. He was also ordered to undergo a mental evaluation. His lawyer said he planned to appeal the decision. Masmari declined to speak with CHS under advice of his attorney.
CHS reported on a DUI incident last spring in the 600 block of Harvard Ave E involving Masmari. Prior to the arrest, Masmari worked as a delivery driver with a Capitol Hill pizza shop. In July, a Seattle woman filed for a protection order against Masmari for a series of harassing incidents.
Several business owners in north Capitol Hill told CHS they have had run-ins with the man.
CHS spoke with a north Broadway business owner familiar with the person of interest who said he talked with police last week after the pictures were released and tips began coming in to SPD’s arson and bomb squad detectives. The Broadway business owner said that he and others were forced to “86” the man from their venues after run-ins in recent months.
While he has a record of Seattle assaults and arrests that increased in frequency starting last spring, there is nothing in his criminal record at the level of the Neighbours crime.
Another who had a violent run-in with Masmari last year told CHS he contacted police after he saw the Neighbours arson pictures.
According to Shaun Knittel who has been acting as spokesperson for Neighbours, surveillance video shows a man entering the packed club via the smoking area just before midnight. He is believed to be carrying a concealed canister of gasoline later found at the scene. Police say a small red gasoline can was found at the top of the stairs where the fire originally spread before being extinguished by a quick acting patron and employee.
At this point, we are not aware of any direct connection between Masmari and Neighbours. Despite the club’s long history in gay culture, police and city officials have been careful not to call the arson attempt a hate crime or an act of terrorism.
Despite the arrests and fights last year, Masmari continued to be a regular in the north Broadway community. Another business owner said he got into several arguments with one of his employees but continued to shop in the store without incident after the owner spoke with him.
Masmari had been a resident living near Broadway and Roy but at his recent sentencing hearing he said he had since moved to the Eastside.
If you have information that might help the investigation, you can contact SPD detectives at (206) 684-8980.
