German man charged over LA arson spree

LOS ANGELES: A German man arrested following a four-day arson spree in Los Angeles over New Year has been charged on 37 felony counts, prosecutors said Wednesday.

The charges were announced before a court appearance by Harry Burkhart, 24, over the fire-setting spree, which kept the West Coast city and the Hollywood district on edge over the end-of-year holiday.

He faces 28 counts of arson of property and nine counts of arson of an inhabited structure, prosecution officials said.

In all there were 53 deliberately-set fires in Hollywood and surrounding districts, causing more than $2 million in damage in the biggest arson spree since the 1992 LA riots.

Burkhart was arrested in the early hours of Monday after a massive manhunt. On Tuesday the State Department said it had tipped off LA police about Burkhart because he was linked to another German national sought by Berlin, believed to be his mother.