Seattle Gay Club Arson Suspect Provoked by 'Sex Slave' Email?

The man accused of attempting of setting a popular Seattle gay club on fire on New Years Eve may have been provoked to do so via an explicit email, Seattle's CBS-affiliate station KIRO-TV reports.

The news station reports they have "uncovered new evidence against" arson suspect Musab Masmari, whom authorities say set gay bar Neigbours on fire on New Years Eve.

According to KIRO-TV, someone sent Masmari, 30, an email, signed "your slave john" and according to police documents, "john" said he would polish Masmari's shoes with his tongue. He also wrote to the suspect:

"You can order me to do what you want me to do," and, "Can I have a chance?"

Seattle Police Department's investigators say the person who sent the email knew of Masmari's views on gay people (Masmari admitted to his "distaste for homosexuals"). Authorities said the email is "evidence pertinent to hate crime."

The email was sent to Masmari three days before he allegedly lit Neighbours Nightclub on fire, where about 700 people celebrated New Years Eve. Officers say no one was injured in the incident, but both police and prosecutors say Masmari, who was spotted on surveillance footage during the night of the fire carrying what appears to be a can of gasoline, set the fire. Authorities believe he used the gas to douse a set of stairs just after midnight and left the canister at the top of the steps.

The club was quickly evacuated and Neighbour's staff, along with two off duty military personnel who were at the bar, put out the flames.

When Masmari, who reportedly has a number of other ongoing cases unrelated to the arson case, was arrested in January, police said they found he was holding a one-way ticket to Turkey and two passports.

Masmari is being held in King Court Jail on a $1 million. He has been charged with arson and prosecutors say he is a flight risk. Prosecutors may also charge the suspect with a hate crime.

"If and when there's evidence to support additional charges, they will be filed," Ian Goodhew, the King County Prosecutor's Office, told KIRO-TV.