A 21-year-old man was arrested on multiple charges, including first-degree arson, after a strange sequence of events at a downtown Tampa apartment tower early Sunday.
Tampa Fire Rescue officials say Mohammed Almarri illegally entered his neighbor's apartment on the 30th floor of the luxury Element apartment building at 808 N Franklin St. He then forced the owner to retreat to his balcony, put the owner's wallet into the microwave and turned it on.
The victim told officials Almarri also took the victim's collection of lighters, piled them on the floor next to a small electric heater and turned the heater on.
Firefighters were dispatched to the scene around 8:45 a.m. to investigate a report of a man trapped on his high-rise balcony. They smelled smoke, but found no active fire, and the victim was not injured.
Almarri was arrested soon after.
Damage to the apartment and contents was estimated at $1,000.