Charges: Eden Prairie man threatened to kill ex 2 days before starting house fire that sent infant to hospital
(Credit: Hennepin County Sheriff's Office)
An Eden Prairie man has been charged with arson in connection with a house fire that sent an infant to the hospital in late May.
Abdirahman Abdi Abdullahi, 23, was charged on Monday with one count of first-degree arson.
The charges stem from a fire on May 31 in which Eden Prairie police officers and fire crews responded to a house on Cardiff Lane around 11:30 a.m., according to a criminal complaint.
A man on the scene told law enforcement that he, two other women, and four children live in the house. The man said he awoke to heavy smoke and the sound of fire alarms before running out of the house with three of the four children who were home.
He added that he thought one of the women grabbed the 9-month-old baby, but the women told fire crews the child was still inside.
The infant was rescued by firefighters and brought to the hospital in critical condition.
One of the women who stays at the house told law enforcement she believed her ex-boyfriend set the fire. She identified her ex-boyfriend as Abdullahi and said he had come to the house two days prior, kicked the door in, and threatened to kill her.
Surveillance video from nearby businesses shows a man dressed in black parking a Jeep in the back of a business before grabbing a white trash bag and red gas can from the back of the car and walking in the direction of the home just minutes before the fire.
About six minutes later, the man is seen on video running back to the Jeep with the gas can and speeding away, according to the complaint.
An investigation showed that the Jeep was rented in Eden Prairie on May 28 by a man who works with Abdullahi. Investigators who spoke with the man said he told law enforcement he rented the vehicle and immediately gave it to Abdullahi, according to the complaint.
The ex-girlfriend of Abdullahi confirmed his identity in the surveillance video and confirmed he was driving a red Jeep when he came to the home to threaten her.
Abdullahi is currently on probation for a felony harassment restraining order violation in which the woman whom he threatened is the victim.
Abdullahi is currently in custody. He is due back in court Tuesday afternoon for a first appearance.