His apartment caught fire and he’s in jail, accused of setting it

A Lexington man was in jail Thursday morning, accused of setting his own apartment on fire, according to media reports.

Mahmoud Nehad Sabbooba, 25, is charged by police with first-degree arson, according to the Fayette County jail website. He’s being held on a $5,000 cash bond.

The fire department was called Wednesday night to the Newtown Crossing apartments on Foreman Avenue for a structure fire, according to WKYT. Sabbooba reportedly admitted to an officer that he’d set his room on fire to get the attention of police and firefighters.

The fire at the apartment was put out quickly, and no other apartment units were affected by the flames, according to LEX 18.

This story was originally published April 27, 2017 at 8:33 AM with the headline "His apartment caught fire and he’s in jail, accused of setting it."