MAINZ, GERMANY — A Syrian refugee admitted to German investigators that last Thursday he set the cellar of a hotel ablaze and spray painted swastikas to frame the arson as a political crime, The Local.De reported.

The 26-year-old man had been living at the hotel — which was functioning as a refugee shelter — and had become unhappy with his future prospects and cramped living conditions there, NBC News reported, citing German police.

According to RT, the arsonist spraypainted three swastikas on the building in an attempt to frame the fire as a political crime perpetrated by the German far right.

Some 26 people were inside the building at the time when the blaze started, but only six received minor injuries.

“This was very close to a catastrophe,” Achim Hansen, a spokesman for police told NBC News. Hansen explained that a quick response from firefighters stopped the blaze from turning fatal.

According to The Local.De, the man says he acted alone and is currently in prison awaiting trial.

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