Feds Arrest Man Suspected of Starting L.A.'s Palisades Wildfire

Huge update in the investigation into the devastating Palisades Fire in California ... the feds say they've arrested a suspect who they say ignited the inferno.

Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli just announced the arrest of a 29-year-old man named Jonathan Rinderknecht ... charging him with maliciously starting what became January's Palisades Fire.

Essayli says the criminal complaint alleges Rinderknecht started a fire in the Pacific Palisades on New Year's Day ... which morphed into the devastating wildfire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses.

The feds say they have evidence linking Rinderknecht to the blaze ... including images they say he generated on ChatGPT depicting a burning city. Rinderknecht previously lived in the Pacific Palisades area, and had a friend who lived there.

Essayli says ... "While we cannot undo the damage and destruction that was done, we hope his arrest and the charges against him bring some measure of justice to the victims of this horrific tragedy."