Arsonist confesses to baffled police on live TV

A US man has walked up to a pair of baffled-looking police officers on live TV and confessed to setting his house on fire.

The man made his nonchalant confession to the local news crew first who arrived on the scene in Montgomery County, Maryland and began filming as firefighters battled the blaze in the background.

Approaching the WJLA-TV reporter, the man who identified himself as Carlos, said simply:

"Me. Me. I set it on fire.”

The man said he wanted to draw attention to the awful conditions inside the rental property, which the owners and police had done nothing about.

"I just poured gasoline on the floor, set it on fire, went to grab a drink, and came back," he said. 

"Just so you [the media] could get here....for your attention," he added. 

The news crew then filmed the man walking straight up to two astonished police officers on the scene and confessing to the crime.

He was arrested and taken to a police station where he reportedly became less talkative and asked for an attorney.

None of the six people living at the home were injured by the fire, but the damage bill has been estimated to top $400,000.

Source: WJLA-TV