Student who set dormitory on fire identified

Five mattresses in the dormitory of an educational institute were gutted in the fire.

Lieutenant-Colonel Abdulrahman Al Hamadi, Deputy Director of the Criminal Evidence Department at Abu Dhabi Police, announced that fire experts were able to track down the suspect.

He had hidden a container filled with petrol and a can of spray paint on the roof of a neighbouring building.

The suspect allegedly sprayed petrol on the beds through the windows and set them on fire before fleeing the scene, Lt-Col Al Hamadi said.

The suspect used the spray paint to write threatening messages to other students on the walls — another clue which helped the police to identify the student through his handwriting and fingerprints.