In Lviv, an indictment has been submitted to court against a 19-year-old local resident accused of setting fire to the premises of an Islamic religious and cultural centre and damaging property belonging to the religious community and a shopping centre. This was reported by the Frankivsk District Prosecutor’s Office of the city of Lviv.
According to the investigation, one evening in April this year, the young man, having concealed his face, came to the Islamic Religious and Cultural Centre in Lviv. He brought with him a bag containing two glass bottles pre-filled with a flammable liquid. Using a lighter, the accused set these bottles on fire one after the other and threw them towards the stand with a microphone.
The arson caused a fire that damaged property belonging to the Muslim religious community and the premises of the shopping centre where the Islamic centre is located. The total amount of damage exceeds 315,000 UAH, of which more than 215,000 UAH was caused to the religious community and over 100,000 UAH to the shopping centre.
The investigation established that the accused acted out of religious hostility, being aware that religious events and services were held on the premises. He is charged with damaging a religious building and intentional damage to another’s property committed by arson, under Article 178 and Part 2 of Article 194 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The pre-trial investigation in the criminal proceedings was conducted by investigators of Police Department No. 1 of the Lviv District Police Directorate of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Lviv Region and the Office of the Security Service of Ukraine in Lviv Region.
Pursuant to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and may not be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt has been proven in accordance with the law and established by a guilty verdict of a court.