A 19-year-old local resident is on trial in Lviv for setting a mosque on fire

A 19-year-old local resident in Lviv will stand trial on charges of committing a crime motivated by religious intolerance. Law enforcement agencies have completed their investigation and filed an indictment with the court regarding the intentional damage to the building of an Islamic religious and cultural center. This was reported by the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

According to the case file, the incident occurred in April of this year. The defendant arrived at the religious institution’s building in the evening, concealing his face from surveillance cameras. Carrying two bottles of flammable liquid, he set them on fire and threw them toward the interior of the building. His actions were intended to destroy the property of the organization where religious ceremonies were held.

As a result of these unlawful actions, a fire broke out, leading to significant property damage. The total damage inflicted on the religious community and the shopping center where the Islamic center was located exceeded 315,000 hryvnias. The community itself suffered more than 215,000 hryvnias in damages, while the remainder of the funds was required to restore the shopping center’s infrastructure.

The investigation, conducted by police officers in conjunction with representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine in the Lviv region, classified the suspect’s actions as intentional damage to another’s property by arson, aggravated by a motive of religious hatred. The young man faces severe punishment for the crime he committed.

As a reminder, a major emergency occurred in the city of Gadyach: a large fire almost completely destroyed the central building of the pilgrimage center and the synagogue located near the grave of Rabbi Shneor Zalman. The incident resulted in millions in damages.