Rafiqul Islam was charged with attempted murder and arson for allegedly setting fire to his Brooklyn (NYC) rental property while a family of eight tenants, six of them children, were inside.
No one was seriously injured in the Sept. 26 fire in Cypress Hills. According to prosecutors, the 66-year-old landlord was angry because the family He had stopped paying rent and refused to leave..
Islam was ordered detained without bail today after his reading of 59 charges. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of the highest charge, attempted murder.
According to prosecutors, Islam had allegedly been fighting with the family over not paying rent and once threatened to burn down the house before keeping his word on September 26. The two-story two-family unit on Forbell Street has no fire escape and only one entrancehighlighted NBC News.
According to investigators, another 2nd floor tenant noticed a burning smell outside the family’s apartment early that morning. When he went to assess the situation saw smoke and flames coming from the interior stairway, which was the only means of entering or exiting the building.
As the fire spread, The entire family, including six children between the ages of 1 and 8, were forced to climb out of a back window and onto the roof.. From there two adult tenants were able to throw the minors to the neighbors who were waiting about 20 feet below.
Then the two adult tenants jumped from the roof to the ground. Surveillance video captured immediately before the 911 call allegedly shows Islam leaving the building. Another video apparently captured him entering the building wearing a mask and carrying a bucket and garbage bag.
The dispute began at the beginning of the year. Already in February, three complaints had been filed between Islam and the tenants. In them, the residents alleged that the landlord He threatened to cut off their power and then set the building on fire.. Apparently He also used a dead cat to intimidate the family.
“This defendant allegedly set fire to an occupied home, forcing an entire family, including six young children, to climb onto the roof and escape the fire in fear for their lives,” he said. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez in a statement. “It is a miracle that no one was killed or seriously injured. “We will now attempt to hold the defendant accountable for this allegedly deliberate and unscrupulous act of arson.”
All charges are mere accusations and those charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
In a similar case, with a tragic ending, earlier this month A Hispanic woman was beaten to death by a teenage tenant in a rent fight in Queens (NYC).
Last month three bodies were found stabbed in a home in Queensafter a landlord showed up at a police station to confess to the crimes in a alleged dispute over late payment of rent.
Days later, an MTA employee and military veteran was arrested for shooting and killing his tenant when he found him masked inside his apartment in Brooklyn (NYC). The suspect did not have a license to carry weapons.
To report a case of housing discrimination or ask questions about this topic, you can visit this NYC Public Defender’s Office page.
2023-12-21 19:50:00
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