Nantes Cathedral arsonist sentenced to four years in prison

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Two and a half years ago, a Rwandan man, then in his 40s, set fire to the cathedral in Nantes, western France. A Catholic priest was killed.

More than two and a half years after the incident, it is now clear: the arsonist must be behind bars for four years. However, the Nantes Criminal Court stated that the 42-year-old had limited capacity at the time of the crime in July 2020. At the time, the man was working as a volunteer in the church that was severely damaged by the fire.

He “lost control”

The arsonist must also answer for the suspected murder of the priest in a separate trial.

The public prosecutor had demanded a prison sentence of six to eight years against the man. He confessed to the crime in court and said he went to the cathedral that morning to pray to “find peace”. But then he “lost control” as he passed part of the building where he was attacked in late December 2018. He regrets the deed.

The Rwandan came to France in 2012 and has been working as a volunteer for the Diocese of Nantes since 2016. After his asylum applications were rejected, a deportation order was issued against him.

In the morning of July 18, 2020, the arsonist set fire to three places in the cathedral, including an organ from 1619 and a painting from 1836. The French state, owner of the church, estimated the material damage at more than 40 million euros. The fire occurred 15 months after the fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris and caused great commotion around the world. (AFP)

Source: Blick