A Des Moines man has been arrested for allegedly taking a military member's luggage, setting the luggage on fire and destroying a 9/11 memorial all at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
On Jan. 30, the suspect stole luggage that was left unattended, according to court documents.
Officers retraced the suspect's steps through surveillance cameras, which led them to a stairwell in the airport's parking garage. When they came to the 6th floor of the stairwell, officers noticed heavy black smoke and could clearly see flames from what appeared to be a fully engulfed fire on the 7th floor, according to court documents.
Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire.
"The fire caused extensive damage to the stairwell and surrounding areas and a nearby 9/11 memorial was destroyed. It is fortunately (sic) that vehicles did not catch fire as well as that could have caused explosions and a threat to the airport," court documents said.