Image Credit: La Danse & Canva.
Article by the Tennessee Conservative News staff –
Two illegal aliens have been charged with helping the owner of a defunct Nashville nightclub attempt to burn the place down.
The arrests were made last week in the case of a fire at the La Danse Nightclub on May 11, 2026. The club shared a property with the smoke shop Puff and Hit and the Red Phone Booth bar.
27-year-old Keroles Karlas, the owner of the nightclub, was arrested, along with 44-year-old Ashraf Salem, an employee of the smoke shop, and his friend 29-year-old Mina Baslyous.
Police were initially suspicious of the fire that occurred less than one week after the nightclub announced its closure. The club was closing after having more than 500 emergency calls over the last five years, including a nearby shooting that ended in one fatality and multiple injuries.
The subsequent investigation revealed that Karlas, Salem, and Baslyous were shown on security tapes at the smoke shop on the night of the fire. Audio from the video picked up comments in Arabic that translated to “This is fire, my boy,” “It’s fire, let’s go,” and “God forgive us.” The trio appeared to be drinking at the time.
Additional footage showed all three outside in the parking lot as smoke was coming from the roof of the building. They then sat in a vehicle in the parking lot until the smoke “became visible at the ground level in the parking lot” before driving away.
Two points of origin were found in the investigation, and the fire appeared to have been started intentionally.
The report also noted that the fire put an employee of the Red Phone Booth in danger as he was closing up for the night. He was still in the building as it began to fill with smoke.
Karlas, Salem, and Baslyous were arrested on charges of felony aggravated arson and were each booked on a $500,000 bond. Inmate records show that Salem and Baslyous are being held on immigrant detainers and will remain in custody until they are released to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The property owner, Jenneva Lask, said, “This country gives people extraordinary opportunities to build something better. When someone is entrusted with another person’s property and given that opportunity, the expectation is simple: build on it – do not burn it down.”
Sources:
Davidson County Sheriff’s Department.
WSMV.
WKRN.
