Man arrested over setting fires at 2 clothing stores in Hong Kong airport

Hong Kong police have arrested a man on suspicion of setting fires at two clothing stores inside the city’s airport.

Police said on Tuesday night that they had received a report at 6.52pm from a security guard who discovered several pieces of burnt clothing in a store at the airport’s first terminal.

Staff at the store managed to extinguish the flames before firefighters arrived at the scene.

“After a preliminary investigation, the firefighters believe the cause of the fire is suspicious,” police said.

The force said that upon further investigation, officers believed the suspect had committed arson at a second clothing store in the airport.

It was not immediately clear whether the suspect was a visitor to Hong Kong. Police described him as non-ethnic Chinese and holding a foreign passport.