SEATTLE — A man who set fire to a crowded Seattle nightclub just after midnight on New Year’s Eve has pleaded guilty to a federal arson charge.
U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan says 30-year-old Musab Mohammed Masmari put more than 700 people at risk when he poured gasoline in a stairwell at Neighbors, a gay nightclub, and lit it.
Masmari, formerly of Bellevue, was identified through surveillance video and was arrested a month after the arson as he prepared to leave the country.
He was originally charged in state court, but the federal takeover of the case ensures Masmari will serve more than twice the prison time than if he had been convicted in state court, said Durkan.
Never Miss a Beat
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights.
Under the plea agreement, prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed to a five year prison sentence, although the maximum penalty is 20 years.
Article continues below
Last month, KIRO-TV reported that Masmari received a taunting email three days before the event from someone investigators believe knew about Musmari’s self-admitted “distaste for homosexuals.”
Detectives called the emails “evidence pertinent to hate crime.”
Assistant United States Attorney Todd Greenberg said Masmari’s intent will come into play in sentencing, which is scheduled for July.