ADVERTISEMENT
Nantes Cathedral fire investigators rearrest volunteer
Reuters
Last Updated IST
 A view of debris caused by a fire inside the Cathedral of Saint Pierre and Saint Paul in Nantes, France. Credit: Reuters
A view of debris caused by a fire inside the Cathedral of Saint Pierre and Saint Paul in Nantes, France. Credit: Reuters

French police investigating the fire that engulfed the 15th-century Nantes Cathedral last week have rearrested a Rwandan refugee who had been questioned and released earlier in the criminal probe, local prosecutor Pierre Sennes said.

The 39-year-old man, who worked as a volunteer warden at the Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, was questioned again on Saturday by prosecutors who are now formally seeking his detention after new forensic evidence came to light.

Early results from police laboratory work show further evidence of arson, Sennes said on Saturday.

ADVERTISEMENT

The July 18 blaze engulfed the inside of the Gothic structure, destroying a grand organ, stained-glass windows and painting. Fires started in three different places within the building, with no sign of a break-in, authorities said.

ADVERTISEMENT
(Published 26 July 2020, 08:37 IST)