More than two and a half years after the fire in the cathedral in Nantes, western France, the arsonist was sentenced to four years in prison. However, the Nantes Criminal Court stated that the 42-year-old from Rwanda 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.
The arsonist must also answer for the alleged murder of a priest in a separate trial. The 60-year-old minister took care of the man for a few months after the fire, after he was released under judicial supervision. The 42-year-old then turned himself in to police and confessed to the crime.
Arsonist stated that he had “lost control”.
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”. However, he “lost control” when 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.
17th century organ destroyed
On the morning of July 18, 2020, he set fire to three places in Nantes Cathedral, destroying, among other things, an organ dating from 1619 and a painting from 1836. Property damage was assessed by the French state, the owner of the church, at over 40 million euros. The fire came 15 months after the fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, which caused great commotion worldwide.
Source: Krone
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