A Syrian asylum seeker has admitted setting alight his accommodation and spraying swastikas on the wall to make it appear to be a politically-motivated attack.

The 26-year-old said he had started the fire in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate as a protest against the cramped living conditions in the building in Bingen and to highlight poor prospects if he is allowed to remain in Germany.

Four residents and two firefighters suffered smoke inhalation during the blaze last Thursday. Also living in the building alongside refugees and asylum seekers are German residents and seasonal workers.

Police launched an investigation, suspecting a far-right motive, but were told by other refuge residents that the Syrian man was the culprit. The man, in Germany for six months, has been taken into custody to await trial.

Meanwhile a 33-year-old Moroccan man has gone on trial in connection with the massive physical and sexual attacks in Germany on New Year’s Eve.

An 18-year-old woman told a Düsseldorf court of her panic when she was surrounded by up to 20 men in Düsseldorf late on December 31st. She said the defendant then lifted her skirt, touched her breasts and genitals. She later identified the man while watching a television report about pickpockets in Düsseldorf.

The court heard that the Moroccan man accused of attacking the woman had entered Germany in April 2014 and faces separate charges of assault and damage to property, and has four previous theft convictions.

His request for political asylum was rejected but he has remained in Germany.