FOUR PEOPLE HAVE been arrested by gardaí investigating a suspected arson attack on a hotel earmarked for asylum seekers in Co Galway.

The blaze started at around 11.35pm on 16 December at the Ross Lake Hotel in Rosscahill, requiring the fire services to attend the scene and bring the fire under control.

There were no people inside the building at the time of the incident. 

Four people have been arrested this morning as part of the Garda investigation into the fire. 

They were arrested during an operation conducted by Gardaí attached to Galway Divisional Crime Functional Area and members from the National Bureau of Crime Investigation.

Two men, aged in their 40s and 50s, were arrested for alleged offences contrary to the Criminal Damage Act 1991 and are currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.

Two women, aged in their 40s and 50s, were arrested for alleged offences contrary to the Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and are currently detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act, 1939.

All four individuals are being held at a Garda Station in the North Western Region.

Gardaí said the investigation is ongoing and further updates will follow.