France: alleged perpetrator of the fire at Church of the Immaculate Conception already convicted for similar incidents

Joël Vigoureux, the arsonist who is the alleged perpetrator of the fire at the Church of the Immaculate Conception located in the French municipality of Saint-Omer, has already been convicted for similar incidents.

According to French media such as Le Monde, Vigoroux, 35, who was arrested hours after the fire, is a known repeat arsonist in France. The offender has a criminal record of 25 prior convictions, some of them for setting fire to Catholic places of worship.

Now, investigations already underway will determine whether or not Vigoroux was responsible for this fire.

The fire started this Monday morning (local time). Approximately 90 firefighters were needed to extinguish the fire, which caused the church's bell tower to collapse.

The Church of the Immaculate Conception in Saint-Omer, of neo-Gothic style, was inaugurated in 1859. In 2018 it was restored after several years of renovation.