A man was taken into police custody after a major fire broke out at a 19th-century church in northern France, causing its bell tower to collapse, prosecutors said on Tuesday.
A massive fire broke out in the historic Church of the Immaculate Conception in the northern town of Saint-Omer early Monday. No one was injured but the church steeple collapsed.
Video footage showed the flames ravaging the steeple of the church in the darkness.
The public prosecutor’s office said that a suspect had been taken into custody on Monday evening.
The man, who was born in 1985, has been known to authorities “for similar acts” in the past, Saint-Omer public prosecutor Mehdi Benbouzid told AFP on Tuesday.
The man, who had been living in a hostel before the incident, was being interviewed on Tuesday morning.
The investigation pointed to “traces of forced entry” into the church, where a stained-glass window had been broken, said Benbouzid.
The public prosecutor was considering a criminal charge of “destruction of property by dangerous means” because of the religious nature of the property.
Thanks to the efforts of 120 firefighters the fire had been contained by Monday morning, according to the prefecture. More than 50 residents living nearby were evacuated as a precaution, officials said.
Government ministers including Culture Minister Rachida Dati expressed “solidarity” with the residents of Saint-Omer.
The church, which features neo-Gothic furnishings, was unveiled in 1859. It was restored and reopened in 2018.
In July, a fire broke out in the spire of the mediaeval cathedral in the northern French city of Rouen during renovation work. No major damage was reported.
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