Diner Owners Charged with Torching Pennsylvania Building

Two central Pennsylvania diner owners allegedly set fire to the business to collect insurance money because of financial problems.

East Hempfield Township police say 32-year-old Adel Hassan and 37-year-old Ahmed Elbeheri are charged with arson and conspiracy in the fire that tore through the West Lancaster Diner on Wednesday night.

Investigators say the men tried to make the fire look like it stemmed from a robbery. Elbeheri was found outside the burning diner with a minor head injury, his hands bound. He told investigators two men had robbed the diner.

Hassan was arrested nearby after police say he barged into the home of someone he didn’t know. Elbeheri was arrested after being treated for his head injury.

Both men are being held on $500,000 bail.