On November 18 of this year, law enforcement received information about the intentional arson of a bench near one of the apartment buildings in Riga, in the Teika neighborhood.
A criminal case has been initiated regarding the incident, and residents of the building were interviewed, during which it was revealed that the alleged arsonist was seen sleeping in the entrance.
On November 20, law enforcement arrived at the scene, where they met a man born in 1984. He explained that he did not intend to set the bench on fire and deeply regrets his actions. The man stated that he has an unusual hobby — building various structures out of matchsticks. In this case, in addition to the houses he had already built, he wanted to construct a matchstick church, but the intended structure did not turn out as planned, and possibly succumbing to his emotions, he set all the built houses on fire. The man was engaged in his hobby on a bench in front of the house, which burned down along with all the matchstick constructions.
The mentioned man has been detained, and a preventive measure not related to imprisonment has been chosen for him. He has previously come to the attention of the police for various offenses. A criminal case has been initiated for the intentional destruction or damage of someone else's property if it was committed by arson. Such a crime is punishable by imprisonment for up to ten years and probation supervision for up to three years or without it.
