Background: The house in Louisville, Ky., where the fire blazed (Michael Ray/WLKY/YouTube). Inset: Abdulkhaliq Al-Mousa (Louisville Metro Government).
A man in Kentucky is accused of starting a fire in his own house with an oil-soaked rag before telling responding firefighters to "let it go."
Abdulkhaliq Al-Mousa, 49, has been charged with second-degree arson, according to jail records reviewed by Law&Crime. He was booked into the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections.
On Monday, residents of a Louisville, Kentucky, neighborhood were roused by a startling sight: One house was on fire.
Al-Mousa was the owner of the home — and neighbors had apparently made complaints about him in the past.
Michael Ray told local CBS affiliate WLKY that he saw the blaze and called 911.
"I saw the fire in the garage and him standing maybe 15 feet in front of me, and I go, 'Dude, did you just start that fire?' And he looked at me and said, 'Yes,'" Ray recalled.
According to an arrest citation, Al-Mousa had used an oil-soaked rag on a stick to light the blaze in the house, including the garage, before walking across the street, laying down and watching. Video taken by Ray showed firefighters fighting the blaze as it raged in the garage.
"Let it go," the defendant reportedly told the firefighters.
City records reviewed by the TV station show Al-Mousa was reported 15 times over the past two years for incidents including erratic behavior, trash in the yard, and rodents.
"He had a blowtorch walking through the house, a live chainsaw through the house, he's in his front and back yard with a sword," Ray said.
Al-Mousa had reportedly been jailed before on domestic violence charges. A judge released him and ordered him to get mental health treatment, but he apparently didn't — and he kept living in his home, per WLKY. His estranged wife said she tried to get him mental health support, but to no avail.
Al-Mousa was set to be arraigned Wednesday morning.