The embattled speaker of Liberia’s House of Representatives has been questioned by police after a massive fire broke out in the West African nation’s legislature.
Residents of the capital, Monrovia, woke up Wednesday morning to black smoke and flames billowing from the capitol building.
The flames destroyed all the common chambers of the legislature, but no one was in the building at the time.
Liberian police chief Gregory Coleman said four people, including Speaker Jonathan Fonati Kofa and Representative Frank Sah Fuko, have been brought in for questioning.
The fire came a day after plans to remove Kofa from the speaker’s role sparked violent protests.
Several protesters, including an aide to former President George Weah, were arrested during Tuesday’s protest.
Representative Fuqua, a key figure in the House of Representatives, reportedly uploaded a video on Facebook in which he said: “If they want us to burn down the houses, we will burn them down.”
Police Chief Coleman said: “Representative Fuqua threatened to burn down the common chambers and just one day later, he was burned down. So he needs to explain his statement.”
Coleman said Kofa should also explain a Facebook post he made during the protest.
Neither Foucault nor Koffa have publicly responded to Coleman’s comments.
The government has offered a $5,000 (£3,900) reward for information about the fire.
Expressing disappointment over the incident, President Joseph Bokai has ordered security agencies to investigate.
Liberia’s House of Representatives is embroiled in a power struggle, with a faction of lawmakers calling for the ouster and replacement of Speaker Kofa.
Another group has resisted the move, calling it unconstitutional.
A Supreme Court decision has failed to resolve the internal conflict.