Alberta man wanted in arson extortion cases arrested

A man wanted in connection to several attempted arson extortion cases in Calgary and Edmonton has been arrested.

Calgary police said Finbar Hughes, 21, was found and arrested in Calgary on Wednesday. 

Police spokesperson Cassie Pang declined to elaborate on details of Hughes's arrest, citing the ongoing investigation.

Hughes had been wanted on arrest warrants issued by the Calgary Police Service and the Edmonton Police Service.

According to court records, which detailed the warrants for arrest, Hughes, 21, had been wanted in both cities on a total of 10 charges: seven in Edmonton and three in Calgary. The charges include arson, extortion and possession of incendiary material. 

Police are accusing Hughes of extortion against several named victims in Edmonton and Calgary, with the charges alleging he tried "by menaces" to make them send him bitcoin.

The charges detail that in one case, he allegedly asked for money to be sent to a bitcoin account "or expect a worse fire," and in another instance, there was a threat "to pay to a provided bitcoin account or suffer consequences."

"Frankly, it's a huge relief knowing this particular person has been apprehended. Since this incident in Cloverdale and the related incidents, the entire community here has been really tense and on edge," said Robert Thompson, a resident of Cloverdale, where one of the fires had happened.

"As a community, I think it's pulled us together because now we've been keeping an eye out for each other, monitoring the streets more closely. Some of us are beginning to upgrade our home security as well."

On Nov. 19, a house in Calgary's Hillhurst neighbourhood was deliberately set on fire, according to Calgary police, and several neighbours in the area received letters asking for bitcoin transfers. Police said more notes demanding bitcoin were sent after that fire.

The Calgary fire occurred after a series of similar fires in Edmonton.

On Sept. 23, a vehicle parked outside a home at 77th Street and 95th Street in the Holyrood neighbourhood was intentionally torched. A note demanding bitcoin was left on the home's doorstep.

On Oct. 13, a house at 95th Street and 97th Avenue in the Cloverdale neighbourhood was set on fire. Some neighbours told CBC News that they received notes suggesting that they could see the same fate unless they paid $1,000 in bitcoin.

The notes were handwritten, mostly in block letters.

Several days later, Edmonton Fire Rescue Services responded to a fire at the same Holyrood home from September. EFRS said there was evidence a soffit and an outdoor carpet were set on fire.