Tasmanian vigilante crime vlogger Ben Fama has been charged with arson after allegedly setting fire to a Kingston home in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Fama, 46, appeared before the Hobart Magistrates Court this morning facing charges of arson, assault, property damage and breaches of bail conditions.
He remains in police custody.
Tasmania Police allege Fama attended a residence on Redwood Road shortly after midnight on Sunday and ignited a fire inside the property.
A male occupant was inside the home at the time but was not seriously injured.
Hours earlier, Fama had been live streaming from a nearby siege on Hawthorn Drive in Kingston to his 18,000 Facebook followers under his page Ben FamaTV.
In his footage from the siege, Fama filmed police activity and spoke with bystanders and media crews for several hours on Saturday evening.
He later live streamed the moments leading up to his arrest around 1am on Sunday.
In the footage, Fama could be heard confronting police at his door, accusing officers of not turning on their body cameras and repeatedly telling them to leave his property.
“I’ve told you three times, if you can’t follow procedure, get off my property,” he said during the stream.
“I seriously will come out there with a chainsaw. You will be classed as a threat.”
Police said investigations into the incident are continuing.
Anyone with information who has not yet spoken with investigators is asked to contact Kingston CIB on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers Tasmania on 1800 333 000.
