German Man Charged With LA New Year Arsons

A German man has been charged with 37 counts of arson linked to a series of fires across Los Angeles over the New Year.
Harry Burkhart, 24, was charged with 28 counts of arson of property and nine counts of arson of an inhabited structure, said Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley.
"The complaint also alleges that the arson was caused by use of a device designed to accelerate the fire," Cooley said.
"If found true, the allegation could mean additional custody time for the defendant."
Burkhart, a German citizen, is being held under suicide watch at the Los Angeles County Jail.
In a brief court appearance he spoke only to confirm that he understood the charges against him. He will appear again later this month.
State prosecutors in Germany had previously said Burkhart was suspected of starting a fire that burned down his home in the city of Neukirchen.
"We are investigating against this 24-year-old man because of a fire in the Schwalm-Eder district," German state prosecutor Annemarie Wied said.
"He is accused of serious arson and suspected fraud."
Scores of cars around the West Hollywood area were thought to have been set alight in the attacks.
Some of the fires spread to nearby properties and damaged homes and apartments, although no one was killed or injured in the incidents.
Among the properties damaged in the blazes was the former home of Doors frontman Jim Morrison.
Burkhart's 53-year-old mother, Dorothee Burkhart, was arrested last week in the Los Angeles area on a provisional warrant issued by German authorities and is facing extradition proceedings.

Ms Burkhart, who has been living in a Los Angeles apartment with her son, faces multiple charges of fraud and embezzlement in Germany, according to court documents.
She is accused of failing to pay a surgeon for breast augmentation as well as failing to return security deposits on rental properties she leased and accepting fees and deposits on apartment units she did not own, the court documents show.
The elder Burkhart was apparently unaware that her son had been arrested and asked a judge if the "German Nazis" were responsible for him disappearing.
A website for an erotic massage service based in Los Angeles is registered to a Dorothee Burkhart who shares the same address as Harry Burkhart. The site advertises topless but non-sexual sessions by appointment only.
Officials had offered a reward of $60,000 (£38,600) for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for the arson attacks.