On Wednesday night, just two days after flames engulfed the historic Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, a man was arrested with gas, lighter fluid and lighter outside the iconic St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.
As CNN reports, a 37-year-old New Jersey man was taken into custody on Wednesday night after being stopped by a security guard at the Manhattan landmark church. The man reportedly spilled some gasoline, and the guard told him to turn around. He was detained shortly thereafter by New York Police Department counterterrorism officers.
“It’s hard to say exactly what his intentions were but I think the totality of circumstances of an individual walking into an iconic location like St. Patrick’s Cathedral, carrying over four gallons of gasoline, two bottles of lighter fluid and lighters is something we would have great concern over,” John Miller of the NYPD told CNN.
Around 7:55pm, a man walked into St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan with gas cans and lighter fluid, and was subsequently apprehended by without incident. We thank our partners for their help, and remember - if you see something, say something.
NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) April 18, 2019
The arrest comes just two days after a devastating fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, which caused extensive damage to the 12th century building, though much of its art was apparently saved. French billionaires have pledged hundreds of millions of euros to help with the cathedral’s reconstruction, and French president Emmanuel Macron has vowed to rebuild Notre-Dame in five years.