The Catholic Church in Fittja was subjected to an arson attack early Sunday morning. The perpetrator was caught on film by a surveillance camera outside the church.
– I believe God made sure I woke up, says a shaken parish priest to Samnytt.

At around six o’clock on Sunday morning, Zdzisław Lepper, parish priest at the Catholic Church in Fittja south of Stockholm, needed to go to the bathroom.

– Lucky in misfortune, he tells Samnytt.

Lepper lives in an apartment located within the church premises. On his way back to bed, he wants to see how much snow has fallen during the night.

Sees the Attacker on Camera

After an arson attack on the church ten years ago, the parish installed several surveillance cameras. And when the parish priest looks at the cameras to check how much snow fell during the night, he sees a masked man outside his own apartment door.

– There was a guy outside the door who had already set the fire. I saw it, reacted, and banged on the door to try to scare him off, he says.

Lepper explains that he doesn’t dare open the door immediately. He doesn’t know who the man outside is. Evidently it is someone who wants to burn down the church, along with the priests who live in the rectory.

He also says that the attacker doesn’t seem deterred by his banging and continues trying to get the fire going.

A Divine Intervention

When the masked man leaves, Lepper opens the door and puts out the fire. He is convinced that it was God who woke him, allowing him to discover the fire in time.

– If I hadn’t noticed it, but gone back to bed, then I probably wouldn’t be alive today, he says.

– I believe God made sure I woke up, went to the bathroom, and gave me the idea to check the camera to see how much snow had fallen.

He is shaken by someone trying to burn down the church—and the fact that the door targeted was his own residence.

– He probably wanted us to burn inside, says Lepper, referring to himself and another priest who lives there.

Classified as Attempted Aggravated Arson

After putting out the fire, Zdzisław Lepper calls the police. The police send out, among other things, canine patrols to try to track down the perpetrator. But the search is fruitless.

– We have no suspects. It is still an ongoing investigation, says Stockholm police spokesperson Daniel Wikdahl to Samnytt.

Forensic technicians have been at the church to secure technical evidence. Additionally, the police have reviewed surveillance images from more cameras than just those at the Catholic church.

– Not everything is completely clear when it comes to those parts. That is, among other things, what we have been working on. But there are no suspects in the case, says Wikdahl.

The arson attack is classified as attempted aggravated arson.

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