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Teenager pleads guilty to arson of historic church in Russia’s Karelia - source

The suspect has been sent to a juvenile detention center for 30 days

PETROZAVODSK, August 14. /TASS/. A 15-year-old suspected of setting on fire a historic church in Russia’s northwestern Karelia Region has pleaded guilty, a law enforcement source told TASS.

"The teenager has pleaded guilty," the source said without providing any other details. Spokesperson for the Russian Investigative Committee’s Karelia Branch Olga Golubenko, in turn, declined to either confirm or reject reports about the suspect’s confession. "No comments," she said.

A fire in the church located in the town of Kondopoga broke out on the morning of August 10. The Russian Emergencies Ministry believes that the fire was caused by an arson attack. A criminal case has been launched under the Russian Criminal Code’s article concerning the destruction or damage of cultural heritage sites included in Russia’s state register.

The suspect has been sent to a juvenile detention center for 30 days. A forensic psychiatric examination has been ordered. A law enforcement source told TASS earlier that the teenager had some mental issues. The suspect explained his crime saying he wanted to become famous.

The 42-meter high Church of the Dormition, built in 1774, was one of the tallest wooden churches in northern Russia. The church was included in Russia’s federal list of cultural heritage sites.

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