St. Edward’s alum charged in motel fire
Arson investigators have charged Mohammed Amine Lahlou with arson in connection with a fire set at a motel on the access road of Interstate 35 near Oltorf.
Fire broke out at the America’s Best Value Inn around noon on Sunday. All the guests of the motel were evacuated, and one was transported to the hospital with smoke inhalation.
A few hours later, the Austin Police Department received a call from a man claiming to have set the fire, according to the Austin American- Statesman. Lahlou allegedly confessed to setting the fire and was then arrested and charged with first-degree arson. If convicted, Lahlou could face up to 99 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
During an interview with police, Lahlou indicated how he set the fire, according to a police affidavit obtained by the Austin American- Statesman. He said that he set the fire using paper, cloth and a cigarette lighter. Initially, he waived his right to counsel but then asked for it when he was asked why he set the fire.
However, Lahlou had recently spoken to federal agents to report another crime, Austin Fire Department Battalion Chief Aaron Woolverton said during a Monday press conference. In that report federal authorities said they had “some indication that he may have been emotionally disturbed.”
Lahlou, 33, was born in Morocco but graduated from St. Edward’s University in August 2000. During the press conference, Woolverton said that Lahlou had just returned to the United States after being abroad for eight years. He does not have a criminal record.
According to Mischele Diaz, director of communications for the university, Lahlou graduated from St. Edward’s with B.B.A in Business and Management. Diaz said that this is the only current information she has about him.
Multiple sources have reported that there were around 40 guests in the hotel at the time of the fire, and many of them did not hear a fire alarm going off. The fire caused $1.5 million in damage to the motel.
Lahlou’s bail was set at $100,000, and he is currently being held in the Travis County Jail.
