An investigation was opened on Monday evening into attempted fires which targeted two Parisian churches, one of which twice, we learned on Tuesday January 24 from a source familiar with the matter, confirming information from the “Parisian”.
The investigation opened for degradation by dangerous means due to race, ethnicity, nation or religion was entrusted to the 2nd district of the judicial police, said the Paris prosecutor’s office.
Twice, on January 17 and 22, the Notre-Dame-de-Fatima church, located in the 19th arrondissement of the capital, was the target of arson attempts. According to the “Parisien”, which quotes a source close to the investigation, the door of this church would have been sprayed with a flammable liquid. The fire, believed to have been started with newspapers, did not spread inside the building.
No injuries
On January 18, it was the Saint-Martin-des-Champs church, in the 10th arrondissement, which was hit. The fire was started with pieces of wood in front of the main door and spread inside, according to the daily.
The quickly contained fire caused no injuries.
In a press release Tuesday evening, the mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo announced that the city was filing a civil action, denouncing “with the greatest firmness [ces] acts of degradation”.
