Photo courtesy of LAPD

U.S. State Department officials alerted authorities of a Los Angeles man connected to arsons in Germany who had recently had a tirade in Immigration Court about his mother's pending deportation, the Los Angeles Times reported. 

The newspaper reported that patrol officers were told the man, Harry Burkhart, would be driving a blue Dodge minivan.

Burkhart was detained near Sunset Boulevard Monday after a reserve sheriff's deputy spotted his minivan in West Hollywood around 3 a.m. Eleven fires had been set since 1:30 a.m.

Burkhart is being questioned by the LAPD and the investigation is ongoing.

"I feel very good that we've got the right guy," Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck told the Los Angeles Times. "He had the right stuff in his van and I am confident in the arrest."

Detectives reportedly found fire starter sticks in Burkhart's minivan when he was detained.

Officials with the Los Angeles fire department said they have linked 39 of the more than 50 suspicious fires together.  On Sunday the LAPD released a surveillance video of a person of interest leaving a parking garage at Hollywood and Highland around the time a car in the garage was set on fire.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Beck said the big break in the case came late Sunday when federal officials recognized the image from the video and called the Los Angeles arson task force.

Upon Monday's arrest, Burkhart appeared to be a match to the person in the grainy video.

Most of the fires were set to cars or carports. The LAPD urged residents to leave porch and garage lights on in an effort to deter the arsonist.