French prosecutors detain Rwandan man over Nantes cathedral blaze, then release him
An African man taken into custody over a suspected arson at a 15th century cathedral in the western French city of Nantes has been released without charge, AFP reported.
“There is nothing that directly links my client to the cathedral fire,” Quentin Chabert, the lawyer for the 39-year-old Rwandan refugee, said earlier. He also warned that “politicians are meddling in the situation,” blowing the incident, which delivered significant damage, but resulted in no human casualties, out of proportion.
The man, whose name was undisclosed, worked as a volunteer for the Cathedral of St. Pierre and St. Paul and had been in charge of locking up the ill-fated building on Friday night, LCI broadcaster reported.
His arrest took place at his home on Saturday afternoon, but was only officially announced on Sunday morning. Nantes prosecutor, Pierre Sennes, said that the volunteer was held to clear up some inconsistencies in his schedule.
On Saturday, Sennes revealed that three fires had been started at the church. The blazes completely destroyed the cathedral’s grand organ, smashed a prominent stained glass window on the building’s facade, and ravaged a valuable 19th-century painting that had been sent from Rome.
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