Suspected Fremont arsonist arrested for similar crimes days before

A man arrested last week in connection with setting fires in Fremont was previously arrested on suspicion of similar crimes and had been released from custody just days earlier, police said Monday.

Abdulfatah Idris, 39, of Fremont, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of felony arson and felony vandalism.

On Wednesday, witnesses observed Idris setting fires near Interstate Highway 680 near Mission Boulevard South, according to Fremont police.

Officers located Idris and took him into custody.

Fremont Police Department Abdulfatah Idris was arrested on suspicion of arson twice within three days. He was first arrested June 14, 2020 in Fremont, Calif. and later released from custody in accordance with the “zero bail” guidelines during Covid-19. Idris was again arrested for arson in Fremont on June 18.

Police said Idris was also involved in a vandalism case in which he smashed a business window with a rock at the Fremont Hub earlier in the day Wednesday.

Previously on June 14, Idris was arrested on suspicion of felony arson after witnesses observed him set three fires along Mowry Avenue, but he was later released from custody under Alameda County’s “zero bail” guidelines.

Those guidelines were issued amid the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic to avoid crowding in jails and to try to limit the spread of the virus, police said.

Last modified June 23, 2020 11:02 am

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