Police in Italy have launched a criminal investigation after a migrant who had arrived in the country just days ago started a fire at an airport in Rome.
Two people were injured at Rome's Ciampino airport this morning when the man - said to be a homeless migrant from Georgia - lit a fire at the base of a control tower.
Ciampino was forced to suspend all its flights while emergency services arrived to tackle the blaze and arrest the man, though the hub has since reopened.
The two people injured were airport employees, Sky Italy reported - while the man is said to have been detained.
Two people were injured at Rome's Ciampino airport this morning when a man lit a fire at the base of a control tower
GB NEWS
Images from the scene show police and airport officials surrounding the base of the control tower.
Meanwhile, Italy's deputy PM and transport minister Matteo Salvini has demanded answers.
Writing on social media, migration hardliner Salvini said: "After the events that hit the railways in recent weeks, there was another very serious episode of damage this morning at Ciampino airport: a fire in the control tower started by a homeless immigrant who arrived in our country a few days ago, with serious inconvenience for the entire Italian transport system and thousands of workers and passengers affected.
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Italy's deputy PM and transport minister Matteo Salvini has demanded answers
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"The person responsible has been arrested - and the matter now needs to be clarified as soon as possible," he added.
Salvini was referencing a spate of suspected sabotages across Italy's rail network over the last few days - with state rail operator FS reporting a series of "highly suspicious" events.
Officials have warned that the incidents - including damage to power lines and attempted break-ins - were deliberate interference aimed at disrupting critical areas of the country, and have passed information on to prosecutors.
And today's chaos only piled pressure on airline operators around the country, with the fire breaking out just as baggage handling firms and ground staff announced a national strike.
Police later confirmed a 36-year-old man "of Georgian origins" had been arrested on suspicion of attempting to undermine transport safety, aggravated damage, arson, violence and resisting a public official.
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