On Monday evening, the Minister for the Interior, Laurent Nuñez, announced the arrest of two suspects as part of the investigation into the fires affecting the Fontainebleau massif. According to reports from the Parisian, the police arrested the first suspect at around 4 pm before handing him over to the gendarmerie, who are investigating the case. The two fires in the Fontainebleau Forest near Paris have spread across more than 1,900 hectares.
The police were not familiar with this 18-year-old man. A source close to the case told France Télévisions that he was carrying a lighter and that his hands were covered in soot. Investigators will need to determine whether he had any connection with the fires.
Fontainebleau: Witnesses report a second suspect near the Faisanderie
Witnesses reported seeing a man behaving in a manner they found suspicious near the scene of the fire in the Faisanderie area. The police arrested the man on Monday at around 10.30 pm.
The police were already aware of this 20-year-old suspect. The gendarmes have taken him into custody as part of the investigation into the suspected arson attacks affecting the Fontainebleau forest.
Fire in Fontainebleau: Laurent Nuñez suggests it was started deliberately
Laurent Nuñez had raised the possibility of arson in the Fontainebleau forest as early as Monday morning. The Home Secretary subsequently confirmed the two arrests that evening.
At this stage, the investigation has not established whether the two suspects were responsible for the various fires. The courts will have to determine whether they were involved. The presumption of innocence continues to apply to both men.