Suspect in Australian bank fire identified as asylum seeker

Emergency service workers are seen at a branch of the Commonwealth Bank after a fire injured customers in Melbourne, Australia November 18, 2016. AAP/Julian Smith/via REUTERS

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A man suspected of starting a fire in an Australian bank on Friday that injured 27 people has been identified as an asylum seeker, angering far-right groups and adding to an increasingly heated national debate over immigration.

Six people were taken to hospital in critical condition after the 21-year-old suspect walked into a Melbourne branch of Commonwealth Bank of Australia and lit an accelerant, setting himself and the office on fire, Victoria Police said, adding the man was also in serious condition.