Qatar orders arrests after deadly mall fire

DOHA, Qatar — Qatar’s attorney general says arrest orders have been issued for the owner of a fire-ravaged mall and four others after a blaze killed 19 people, including 13 children.

The official Qatar News Agency said Wednesday that Attorney General Ali bin Feitais al-Marri has also ordered the arrest of the owner of the daycare center where the children and four workers, three of them Filipinos, died in Monday’s fire at the Gulf nation’s biggest mall.

The others facing arrest are mall officials, including the director of security.

Sprinkler systems malfunctioned at the Villaggio complex, bringing calls for sweeping safety and licensing reviews.

The childcare center catered to Qatar’s large expatriate population. The young victims included 2-year-old triplets from New Zealand and three Spanish siblings.

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