SEATTLE: Judge Doubles Requested Sentence, Arsonist Of Gay Nightclub Gets Ten Years In Federal Prison

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

The Seattle man who set fire to a popular Capitol Hill club during a New Year’s celebration was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison - twice as long as the term requested by prosecutors. Facing federal charges in the dangerous but non-injurious blaze, Musab Masmari admitted to starting a fire inside Neighbours Nightclub during the first minutes of 2014. Masmari was caught on camera setting fire to a rear stairwell at Neighbours, a large, decades-old gay nightclub. About 15 minutes after midnight, Masmari poured gasoline in a stairway to Neighbours’ balcony and lit the pool of fuel. The fire was quickly doused with a fire extinguisher; there were about 750 people in the club at the time.

Masmari, a California native also known as Musab Musmari, was arrested days later on his way to Sea-Tac Airport after buying a one-way ticket to Turkey. Writing the court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Greenberg said evidence suggests Masmari was motivated by an “intolerable hate.” “One of Masmari’s close associates was interviewed by investigators and reported that Masmari confided in him that he ‘burned a gay club’ and that he did it because ‘what these people are doing is wrong,’” Greenberg said in court papers. Greenberg said another person close to Masmari said he had a “general hostility towards homosexuality.” Attorneys for Masmari Charles Swift and Jeffrey Cohen noted that prosecutors were unwilling to try to prove that hate motivated the arson.

Ten years still feels like a light sentence for the attempted murder of hundreds of people. But good for the judge.

SEATTLE: Arsonist Of Gay Nightclub May Only Get Five Years In Prison

The man who attempted to murder over 700 LGBT people by setting fire to a packed Seattle nightclub on New Year's Eve is due to be sentenced today.

Under the plea agreement Musab Masmari will serve the mandatory minimum of five years in prison, although the judge in the case could sentence the 31-year-old up to the maximum 20 years allowed by law. Masmari will not face terrorism or a hate crime charges for setting the fire inside the gay nightclub, though prosecutors signaled they may have had a case after learning that a “confidential informant” told investigators that Masmari said homosexuals should be “exterminated.” Prosecutors told CHS Masmari’s motives will be in question as part of the judge’s sentencing. This week, Masmari’s defense filed a personal statement with the court where he blamed his actions on drinking too much alcohol before setting the fire. In the statement Masmari said he drank an entire “cheap bottle of whiskey” on New Year’s Eve and said he did not remember what happened afterwards.

Masmari was arrested in February while attempting to flee the country on a one-way ticket to Turkey.

SEATTLE: No Hate Crime Or Terrorism Charges In Gay Nightclub Arson

From the Southern Poverty Law Center:

The man who tried to kill a crowd of 750 people packed inside a popular Seattle gay bar by setting it afire on New Year’s Eve has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of arson. Despite some evidence that he was motivated by hatred of LGBT people, Musab Mohammad Masmari will not face federal hate crime charges. The Seattle Times reports that Masmari, a 30-year-old American-born man of Libyan extraction and upbringing, reached an agreement with prosecutors on Friday to plead guilty to arson. Though prosecutors had substantial reason to believe it was an anti-LGBT bias crime, he will not face federal hate-crime charges. Prosecutors said that Masmari’s motives will be addressed by the judge during the sentencing phase, which comes next week.

According to Masmari's plea agreement, prosecutors will only ask for a five-year prison sentence. The SPLC notes that the judge is free to disregard the agreement and sentence Masmari to up to twenty years in prison. (Tipped by JMG reader David)

SEATTLE: Feds Take Over Gay Nightclub Arson Case, Terrorism Charges Possible

The federal government has taken over the case of Musab Masmari, who is accused of setting a fire in a Seattle gay nightclub as more than 700 patrons celebrated on New Year's Eve. The change in jurisdiction means that terrorism or hate crime charges are more likely.

A friend of Musab Musmari’s contacted the FBI in early January to say that he was concerned that Musmari “may be planning some terrorist activity,” according to search-warrant documents filed earlier in King County Superior Court. The friend, who was not identified by authorities, worked as a confidential informant for the FBI and Seattle police after the fire, the documents say. The friend also told investigators that Musmari, on a number of occasions, expressed his “distaste for homosexual people” and thought they “should be exterminated,” the documents said. Police say that Musmari avoided a security check at Neighbours by entering an adjacent bar called Therapy Lounge. He then passed through an interior door between the bars into the two-floor dance club and was seen on surveillance footage walking around with an object that appeared large enough to contain a one-gallon gas can, according to the state charging documents.

Masmari is a California-born US citizen and was raised in Libya. He was apprehended in February as he attempted to flee to Turkey on a one-way ticket. (Tipped by JMG reader Todd)

Child Molester Charged With Ten Counts Of Attempted Murder After Setting Fire To Home Because Lesbians Don't Deserve To Have Children

Miami police have arrested a 74 year-old registered sex offender and charged him with ten counts of attempted murder for trying to burn down the home of a lesbian couple and their eight children. The suspect told police that he is repulsed by the couple and that they don't deserve to have children.

73-year-old Braulio Valenzuela intended to burn down the home that belongs to two women, who lived next door, because they are lesbians. LaTania Dansey is grateful that her girlfriend Norma and their eight children were not hurt from the fire that was set to the home. "I feel good that they are OK, and we're OK too," said Dansey. Security cameras show Valenzuela exiting his home around 4:30 a.m. Saturday. In the video, he disappears behind Dansey's home, and moments later, the video shows a globe of fire. Detective said that while out of the camera's sight, Valenzuela set ablaze a mattress that was right outside Dansey's trailer. "I saw flashing light. Then I heard crackling," said Dansey. The flames were extinguished before they could burn down Dansey's home.Police believe Valenzuela set the fire because he was disgusted by Dansey's lesbian relationship.

More from the Miami Herald:

Florida Department of Law Enforcement records show Valenzuela-Villanueva, 73, is no stranger to police. Monday’s arrest was at least his 10th since 1994. Other charges include burglary, grand theft and retail theft. The state records also show he was first arrested for fondling a child in 1994, but the charges were dropped. Then in September 1999, Valenzuela-Villanueva was charged with kidnapping, false imprisonment and indecent exposure to a child under 13. He was later charged with molesting a child in 2006, and arrested again in 2011 for failing to register as a sex offender.

Save this one for the next time haters try to troll you.

Seattle Arson Suspect Pleads Not Guilty

Musab Masmari yesterday pleaded not guilty to a single count of arson in the New Year's Eve fire at a Seattle gay nightclub.

Musmari, 30, is being held in the King County Jail. A hearing in the case has been set for March 5th. Musmari was also ordered to have no contact with Neighbours or its employees. A judge had previously set Musmari’s bail at $1 million after prosecutors said he posed a flight risk. Musmari was found with a one-way ticket to Turkey and two passports when police arrested him in January. Musmari also has several other ongoing cases unrelated to the incident at Neighbours. Earlier, CHS documented Musmari’s increased brushes with the law in the past year on Capitol Hill including assaults and protection order violations. In a recent conviction and sentence that he is appealing, Musmari was required to undergo a mental health evaluation.

Masmari allegedly told a police informant that "homosexuals should be exterminated." That revelation has spawned speculation that federal hate crime charges are coming.

WASHINGTON: Seattle Gay Nightclub Arson Suspect Allegedly Told Friend "Homosexuals Should Be Exterminated"

According to newly released court documents, Seattle gay nightclub arson suspect Musab Masmari told a friend that "homosexuals should be exterminated." This is the first evidence yet disclosed as to Masmari's possible motivation for setting the fire on New Year's Eve as over 750 patrons celebrated.

According to investigative documents filed in King County Superior Court, the 30-year old Masmari told a friend “that homosexuals should be exterminated.” That friend, a member of the local Muslim community, went straight to the FBI because he believed Masmari may have also been planning a terrorist attack. That friend became a confidential informant. According to the documents, Masmari first met the informant at Fatima’s Cafe near the Masjid at Taqwa Mosque on Seattle’s East Union Street, shortly after the fire at Neighbours. The informant contacted the FBI soon after meeting Masmari because he was "concerned" that Masmari "may be planning some terrorist activity" because he spoke of "something he's planning." The informant told investigators that Masmari told him "he had obtained a rifle." The unidentified informant also said that, in the numerous conversations after their first meeting, Masmari often expressed a "distaste for homosexual people,” and that Masmari "opined that homosexuals should be exterminated."

Masmari is being held on $1M bond on a single count of arson after being apprehended while trying to flee the country on a one-way ticket to Turkey. Last week the editor of Seattle Gay News demanded that charges be amended to include 750 counts of attempted murder. This latest disclosure may lead to federal hate crime charges.

SEATTLE: Editor Of Gay Paper Calls For Attempted Murder Charges In Arson Case

Shaun Knittel, the associate editor of Seattle Gay News, has published a column calling for 750 charges of attempted murder in the case of Musab Masmari [PHOTO], who was fleeing the country on a one-way ticket to Turkey when arrested for the New Year's Eve arson of a crowded gay nightclub. Masmari is being held on a single charge of arson with bail set at $1M.   From Knittel's column:

Information has surfaced that a witness had met with Musmari and spoken with him about the arson. Although Musmari never said why he started the fire, he did indicate that he didn't want to get into trouble, so once he saw that his photo and video surveillance footage had led to his being identified by witnesses, he bought a ticket to leave town. Luckily, Musmari never made the flight. He was arrested before he could reach Sea-Tac airport. I believe in innocent until proven guilty. And I expect the man to get a fair trial. But I also expect for Musmari to be charged with more than arson. There isn't a doubt in my mind that what he did was attempted murder of 750 people. I will attend the hearings and trial in hopes that justice will be served. The city, the nightclub, and the LGBTQ community are safer tonight with Musmari behind bars.

In his lengthy piece, Knittel, who is also a spokesperson for Neighbours, notes that the club was founded decades ago by the Egyptian family which owns it today. This had led some to speculate that the family knows Masmari, but the family denies ever having met him. Masmari has had numerous run-ins with other businesses in the area. According to local media, Masmari hold US and Libyan passports, both of which were confiscated upon his arrest.

POSTED: Initial Charges Against Seattle Gay Nightclub Arson Suspect

Below is the charging document in the case of Musab Marsmari, who is suspected in the New Year's Eve arson at the packed Seattle gay nightclub Neighbours.  Details of Masmari's actions and words in the days between the crime and his Saturday arrest are within. The FBI is investigating the fire as a possible hate crime. You'll likely need to make the document full-screen to read the small text.

$1M Bail Set For Seattle Arson Suspect, FBI Investigating As Possible Hate Crime

Bail has been set at $1M for Musab Masmari, the man suspected of setting a New Year's Eve fire at a packed Seattle gay nightclub, which the FBI is investigating as a possible hate crime. Via Capitol Hill Seattle:

Citing the risk of flight and pending outcomes in recent brushes with the law, a King County judge Tuesday set bail for the suspect arrested in the Neighbours arson investigation at $1 million. Police say Musmari was arrested leaving his home with his U.S. and Libyan passports and was in possession of a one-way airline ticket to Turkey. Tuesday, Musmari waived his right to appear at the hearing as his lawyer argued against the high bail. Prosecutors have yet to charge the 30-year-old former Capitol Hill resident who, according to a lawyer representing Musmari, last called Bellevue home. Tuesday, the FBI, working on the case as part of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, thanked the public for tips leading to Saturday’s arrest. The FBI said it is investigating the incident as a possible hate crime. Meanwhile, friends and victims of Musmari have described his increasingly volatile and unstable behavior over the past year.