Rwandan refugee, 39, faces up to 10 years in prison after admitting to arson in Nantes Cathedral.
- Rwandan refugee, 39, admitted he was responsible for the cathedral hell.
- Questioned yesterday for the second time and confessed that he shot early this morning
- It took 104 firefighters to deal with the fire that started in three places on July 18
A Rwandan refugee could face up to 10 years in prison after admitting to burning down Nantes Cathedral.
The 39-year-old man, who has only been identified by his first name, Emmanuel, worked as a voluntary security guard at the 15th-century Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Painting, which caught fire last week.
Three fires were started at the site on July 18 and 104 firefighters were needed to control the fire that swept through the building and caused damage worth millions of pounds.
Rwandan refugee faces up to 10 years in prison after confessing to an arson attack on Nantes cathedral last week
Fire trucks and 104 firefighters worked tirelessly to fight the fire at the Catherdral and stayed there to make sure it was fully under control.
Refugees questioned the Rwandan refugee a second time yesterday and he was placed under formal investigation early this morning after confessing that he set fire to the cathedral, the French newspaper Le Monde reported.
Prosecutor Pierre Sennès said Emmanuel had been accused of causing the destruction of property by fire, a crime that can be punished with a 10-year sentence and a fine equivalent to £ 136,000.
Sennès added that Emmanuel had previously denied any involvement in the fire.
His attorney, Quentin Chabert, said his client bitterly regretted his actions and “cooperated” with the police.
Emmanuel was being hosted by the Diocese of Nantes, having arrived in France five years ago, and was one of the seven security guards at the cathedral.
On the day of the fire, he was responsible for locking up the cathedral, which started in 1434 and took more than four centuries to complete.
Hours later, fire and thick black smoke could be seen coming out of the building, causing damage worth millions of pounds.
The main organ, dating from 1621, was completely destroyed, along with the valuable stained glass windows.
Emmanuel initially denied having done anything wrong, but later changed his version of events after forensic evidence implicating him in the crime was discovered.
Father Hubert Champenois, who has been rector of the cathedral for seven years, said he knew Emmanuel well.
The interior of the cathedral was destroyed by fire and covered in debris after hell ripped through the building.
Firefighters were lifted on a crane in front of the Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Nantes after the fire razed the building.
“He served at the altar,” said Father Champenois, before Emmanuel was charged. ‘He was very dear. He was a Rwandan refugee who took steps to obtain documents in France. ”
Michel Bourcier, the cathedral organist, said: ‘We have been waving and good night for several years. He is extremely polite.
The Nantes fire came just 15 months after a devastating fire swept through the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
The fire, which caused the closure of Notre Dame, was attributed to an electrical failure.
It was not the first time that fire damaged the cathedral.
It was partially destroyed during World War II in 1944 after the Allied bombings. In 1972 a fire completely devastated its roof. It was finally rebuilt 13 years later with a concrete structure that replaces the old wooden roof.
“The 1972 fire is on our minds, but at this stage the simulation is not comparable,” Nantes Mayor Johanna Rolland told reporters last week.
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