Teenager attempts to set church on fire

Varyl Begg Estate

GIBRALTAR (GibChronicle) Police arrested a local teenager who allegedly set fire to a drape in St Paul’s church in Varyl Begg after making ‘satanic’ threats. The fire was spotted by a group of school children who were walking past the church at around 11am yesterday morning. They managed to extinguish the flames before they could spread beyond the drape, which was covering a lectern next to the altar. According to a police spokesman, the church had been empty and unlocked at the time the fire was spotted. The 17-year old teenager had been seen lingering in the church earlier that morning. A note containing threats and satanic references was also found in the building. The teenager was arrested and taken to New Mole House police station. He was not charged and will undergo psychiatric evaluation over the next few weeks.