- EDITIONS: Spanish News Today Murcia Today Alicante Today
Date Published: 14/09/2022
ARCHIVED - 58-year-old man arrested for trying to burn down Malaga cathedral
The alleged arsonist, who has almost 30 prior convictions, was identified from CCTV footage showing a distinctive limp
It happened on the night of Monday June 27 when a man tried to burn down one of the doors of the Cathedral of Malaga. The security cameras were able to record the alleged perpetrator of the fire, who has finally been arrested by National Police officers, almost three months later.
The 58-year-old man is alleged to have used a flammable liquid to start the fire, which was put out by the fire brigade before the flames could spread to other areas of the famous Malaga monument.
Although the damage caused was small in the end, it has still been calculated at around 850 euros. The architect of the Cathedral, Juan Manuel Sánchez La Chica, explained that the cable of the cameras and a little of the door frame and the column were burnt.
The door that the man tried to set on fire is from the Baroque period in the 18th century, and is of “great historical value”.
The fire at the door – on Calle Cistercian –took place at around 10.20pm and it was one of the people responsible for the conservation of the building who first brought the incident to the attention of local Malaga police.
According to the investigation, the alleged perpetrator broke through the fence on the outer perimeter of the Cathedral and then sprayed a flammable liquid on an access door.
CCTV images showed that the suspect limped on his left leg, and this helped investigators to identify him, finally managing to arrest him September 5.
Upon detaining the suspect, officers found that he has around thirty prior convictions. It’s not known why he tried to burn down the cathedral.
Image: Policía Nacional
staff.inc.and
Loading
Sign up for the Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin and get an email with all the week’s news straight to your inbox
Special offer: Subscribe now for 25% off (36.95 euros for 48 Bulletins)
OR
you can sign up to our FREE weekly roundup!
Read some of our recent bulletins:
25% Discount Special Offer subscription:
36.95€ for 48 Editor’s Weekly News Roundup bulletins!
Please CLICK THE BUTTON to subscribe.
(List price 3 months 12 Bulletins)
Read more stories from around Spain:
Contact Murcia Today: Editorial 966 260 896 /
Office 968 018 268