German tourists charged over Lofoten arson attacks

Two German men in their 20s have been charged with five counts of arson in Lofoten last summer, Dagbladet reports.

Prosecutors allege the men set fire to a storage chapel at Laukvik cemetery twice, completely destroying it, and ignited a plastic container of dried cod heads, which spread to other containers. The fires caused damage exceeding one million kroner.

One of the men is also charged under Norway’s “mordbrann” statute for allegedly setting fire to one or more matchboxes in a woodshed near a residence. According to the indictment, two people were inside the home at the time, and either or both could easily have died if the fire had not been detected in time.

The men were arrested after locals grew suspicious following the first fires. When a forest fire broke out, over 30 residents detained the pair until police arrived. They were held in custody for several weeks before being released and allowed to return to Germany.

Defense attorney Patrick Lundevall-Unger told NRK his client, the man charged under the “mordbrann” statute, only partially admits guilt and denies the most serious allegations, including endangering lives and causing major property damage.

The trial is set to begin on 10 August in Salten and Lofoten District Court in Svolvær, with five days allocated for proceedings.