Police were searching for four suspects believed to be linked to the fire that destroyed a 250-year-old church in Porsgrunn on Norway’s southern coast earlier this week. An arson probe has led police to believe the historic wooden church was deliberately set ablaze.
The Østre Porsgrunn church burned to the ground on Monday and police launched an immediate investigation. They’re now seeking two persons seen riding on a moped in the area shortly before alarms rang in the middle of the night, along with two other persons seen running from the scene.
An arson investigation has involved specially trained dogs sniffing for flammable substances at the site. Police say two garbage bins were removed from the nearby congegration offices, with traces of them showing up along the church wall.
Police are interested in all observations of activity around the church late Sunday night and early Monday. Three other churches in the Porsgrunn area were vandalized during the weekend, but it remained unclear whether the incidents were related to the fire.
Views and News staff
