Somali Migrant Torched Churches as Revenge for a Qur’an Being Burned

A Somali migrant has admitted to setting two Norwegian churches on fire earlier this year, claiming that he committed the arson attacks as revenge for a burning of a copy of the Qur’an late last year.

The man, in his twenties, pled guilty to the two fires in Dombås and at Sel, with the first fire spreading to the spire of the church and doing serious damage.

The man said the acts were revenge for the burning of a Qur’an in the city of Kristiansand by the group Stop Islamisation of Norway (SIAN) which ended in violence after counter-protestors jumped barricades and fought with members of the group.

According to a report from broadcaster NRK, the Somali migrant was identified based on DNA evidence that was gathered at the scenes of both arson attacks.

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The migrant, who came to Sweden at the height of the migrant crisis in 2015, confessed his guilt to investigators during his first interrogation {snip}

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The church at Dombås is said to have suffered 20 million Norwegian Krone (£1.7 million/$2.2 million) in damages as a result of the fire.

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