A landlord in New York City is facing charges of attempted murder after allegedly setting fire to one of his buildings in a dispute with a tenant over unpaid rent. The accused, 66-year-old Rafiqul Islam, was arrested last month for allegedly starting a fire at his own Brooklyn building, where a family with six children were tenants. According to the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), Islam was upset that the family had stopped paying rent and refused to move out.
The FDNY stated in a Facebook post that “FDNY Fire Marshals have made an arrest in an arson case involving a landlord. Investigators say Rafiqul Islam was angry his second-floor tenant stopped paying rent and refused to move out, so he set fire to an interior staircase at 212 Forbell Street in Brooklyn. Two adults and six children were home at the time of the fire and escaped.”
Video evidence obtained during a four-week investigation showed Islam entering and leaving the home shortly before the fire started. He was seen wearing a mask and a hood, but in one image, the mask and hood were down. The fire was ignited on an interior staircase of the building.
Fortunately, all eight members of the family were able to escape safely. The parents threw two children to neighbors on the ground, while firefighters carried out the remaining two children. The parents themselves had to jump from the roof to escape.
The FDNY also revealed that the fire victims had reported that Islam had threatened to cut off their gas and electric service and burn down the house if they didn’t come up with the rent money.
The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office is now pursuing several criminal charges against Rafiqul Islam.
