Italian court convicts Dutch man in Milan arson that killed three
An Italian court sentenced Dutch national Washi L. (28) to 21 years in prison for arson in a furniture warehouse in which three Chinese people were killed, NOS reports. They were sleeping in the building in Milan when L. set the fire in September 2024.
The Dutchman had been hired by two Chinese men who had a dispute over money with another Chinese man, the owner of the furniture warehouse. They paid L. to intimidate the man, and the Dutchman threatened him multiple times in the days leading up to the fire. When the Chinese man reported the extortion to the police, L. proceeded to commit the arson.
On September 12, 2024, L. climbed onto the roof of the building, poured gasoline into the storage area, and set the liquid on fire. The flames spread rapidly, and soon the building was engulfed. Three people were killed: 24-year-old Pan An, and two siblings, 19-year-old Yindan Dong, and Yinjie Liu, who was two years younger. The victims were relatives of the building’s owner, who remained unharmed.
After the arson, L. fled to the Netherlands, where he was arrested in Middelburg after a burglary spree.
Camera footage of the night of the arson showed that L. knocked on the building’s door before starting the fire. The Italian Public Prosecutor argued that this showed he knew there were people in the building, making the arson premeditated murder. That warrants a life sentence. The judge disagreed, ruling that it was not clear whether L. knew there were people in the building.
L. always maintained his innocence. In an earlier hearing, the Dutchman claimed that he climbed onto the roof of the building to break in. He said he got into a fight there and fled. The fire was only started after he left, he claimed.
However, camera footage showed him loitering near the property and leaving items on the windowsill, which were used to start the fire. The court did not believe L.’s account of events.
The two Chinese men who hired L. to extort the furniture warehouse owner were also given hefty sentences. They will each serve 30 years in prison and must pay the victims’ surviving loved ones €500,000 in damages.
L. plans to appeal against his sentence.
