NEWS

Bar snub sparks Ramadan arson

A Nigerian man has been arrested for allegedly staging an arson attack on an Athens immigrants’ bar he had been banned from entering during a Ramadan party early on Saturday. Twelve Nigerian nationals were hospitalized with burns following the attack on the Cinema bar, in the basement of an apartment block on 333 Acharnon Street, which is frequented by African immigrants. Two of the victims were in serious condition. The suspect, identified by police as Hassan Hashish, told officers he had tried to enter the bar, where Nigerian Muslims were having a party after a day of abstinence as part of the month-long Ramadan festival, which started on November 6. But he was not allowed to join the party, and attempts to remonstrate with the bar personnel led to his unceremonious eviction. Police said Hashish admitted to returning to the Cinema at 6.30 a.m. with a bottle of methylated spirits that he lit and threw into the bar, which suffered extensive damage.

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