A 30-year-old Arlington man is accused of starting a fire next to two sleeping homeless men in downtown Boston, the office of Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

Matthew Cody was indicted last week on charges of arson and attempted murder, according to Conley’s office. He was arrested by Boston police Monday at Boston Municipal Court, where he was appearing in an unrelated case.

According to the district attorney, Cody left a restaurant where he worked at about 11 p.m. on Oct. 8 of last year, walking past two homeless men asleep in an alcove. Cody allegedly stopped, picked up a book from a nearby recycling bin, and walked back to the alcove.

Prosecutors said he then placed the book near the sleeping men, lit it on fire, and fled.

When the fire burned out, Cody allegedly came back and set the book on fire again. That fire spread to a piece of cardboard used as a cushion by the men. A worker at a nearby youth services agency smelled smoke and went outside, where he saw the fire. He woke the two men and tried to put out the fire, Conley’s office said.

Using surveillance footage, Boston police detectives and firefighters from the Fire Investigation Unit determined the perpetrator had probably come from somewhere near the restaurant where Cody worked. He was identified as a potential suspect and was observed wearing clothing and a backpack like those seen in the surveillance images. When fire investigators showed Cody’s coworkers the footage of the arsonist, three of them identified Cody, according to Conley’s office.

Cody was arraigned Monday in Suffolk Superior Court; bail was set at $30,000.

John R. Ellement can be reached at ellement@globe.com.