Ten men were arrested on
Friday for allegedly starting a fire in a Milan building being
used by asylum seekers as a dormitory on September 4.
The arrested people, nine Italian nationals and a south
American, were local residents who wanted to give the asylum
seekers a lesson, police said.
The dormitory was blamed for allegedly causing degradation
in the area and an increase in crime.
The suspects allegedly used petrol and fireworks to set
light to mattresses and personal belongings when no one was in
the building.
The suspects allegedly frequented the same bar and were not
a gang but a group of acquaintances, police said, who allegedly
passed the word on to each other, saying "let's go and teach
them a lesson".
Police said there were no elements to support charges of a
racist-motivated crime.
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