SINGAPORE: A 33-year-old man was on Friday (Dec 13) charged with setting fire to curtain blinds in a room for holding inadmissible passengers at Changi Airport.
Korkmaz Hasan, an Australian, faces one charge of committing mischief by fire in the room at Changi Airport Terminal 2 at about 2.20am on Thursday.
His actions allegedly caused damage amounting to about S$1,000 (US$740), according to the charge sheet.
He has been remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for medical examination, and will return to court on Dec 27.
The police previously said that Korkmaz was allegedly verbally abusive towards auxiliary police officers after he was denied a cigarette.
Before the police arrived, he allegedly removed the curtain blinds from the holding room and set them on fire with his lighter.
He also threatened to spread the flames if his demand was not met, police said.
The fire was subsequently extinguished by officers from the Airport Police Division.
During the confrontation, the man also sprayed a fire extinguisher at the officers, police added.
Investigations against Korkmaz for other criminal offences are ongoing, according to police.
If found guilty of committing mischief by fire, he can be jailed for up to seven years and fined.
