A court in Bergen on Norway’s west coast ordered that a 45-year-old woman who’s admitted setting a series of fires be held in custody for at least the next four weeks, while police continue their investigation. “She has expressed that she wanted people to die,” police lawyer Kari Trones told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK).
The woman is charged with setting three separate fires in downtown Bergen on Thursday, which threatened to destroy some of the city’s most historic neighbourhoods that feature unique, wooden buildings. No one was injured in the fires, but one house was overcome by the blaze that forced evacuation of nearby residential properties.
The woman, who turned herself in and told police she would set more fires if she had the chance, has a history of psychiatric problems and reportedly had been released from a mental health clinic just prior to her round of arson attempts on April 11. The court ruling on Saturday includes requirements that she receive the psychiatric treatment she needs.
She’s thus being held in a local hospital for observation and treatment. It was unclear whether she’d be able to stand trial.
newsinenglish.no staff
