Investigation into Car Arson in Liepāja Completed; Case Sent to Prosecutor's Office
The State Police have completed an investigation into the arson of two cars in Liepāja in January and handed the case to the prosecutor's office against four individuals.
On January 28 of this year, shortly before 3:00 AM, the State Police received a report of two vehicles on fire on Siļķu Street in Liepāja. The cars—a Volvo and an Opel—were completely engulfed in flames. No one was injured in the incident. A criminal investigation was launched to determine the circumstances and identify the perpetrators.
During the investigation, police gathered information about possible suspects. On February 11, two men were arrested in Ventspils on suspicion of setting the cars on fire. Believing the crime was committed on order, officers arrested another man on February 24 on suspicion of organizing the arson. On February 26, a court ordered his detention.
Investigators established that a man who barely knew the car owner conspired with another to burn the vehicle, mistakenly thinking it was used by a family member. The intermediary recruited two men to carry out the act, promising them payment. On the night of January 28, the two executors traveled from Ventspils to Liepāja. They soaked a pair of trousers with fuel, placed them under the front wheel of the Volvo, poured remaining fuel onto the car, and set it on fire. The flames caused the Volvo to move forward and collide with the parked Opel, igniting it as well. Both vehicles were completely destroyed.
The person who ordered the arson and the executors had previously been in police records and had been punished, while the intermediary had no prior criminal record. The South Kurzeme district of the Kurzeme Regional Police has finished the investigation against all four individuals for intentional destruction of property by arson. Under the Criminal Law, such an offense carries a sentence of up to ten years in prison and probation supervision for up to three years. The case has been forwarded to the prosecutor's office to initiate criminal prosecution. The State Police reminds that everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty in accordance with the law.
