The Confederation's Public Prosecutor's Office is being contacted after two suspicious fire outbreaks at the French Consulate and the Algerian Mission to the UN this summer in Geneva, RTS revealed on Friday. The Quai d'Orsay, in Paris, was informed of the situation.
In Geneva, the Consulate General of France and the Permanent Mission of the Algerian Republic to the United Nations Office and international organizations fell prey to flames this summer, within a few days of each other. These concomitant fires are of interest to federal justice, which suspects malicious acts, the RTS Investigation Unit learned.
The facts date back to August 13 and 15. On Tuesday, August 13, it was first the Algerian Mission to the UN, located in Bellevue, which was the victim of a disaster. The fire broke out in the middle of the night in a kitchen on the ground floor, according to firefighters interviewed by 20 minutes. There were no injuries, but two people were evacuated.
The Consulate General of Algeria in Geneva confirmed the facts in a press release published the next day. He reassures members of his community living in Switzerland: “This fire caused only limited material damage.” Contacted, the consul general of Algeria did not respond to requests from RTS.
Suspicious fire
A day later, on Friday August 15, this time it was the Consulate General of France, located not far from Geneva's Old Town, which was the target of a fire, again in the middle of the night. “This caused superficial and minimal damage, fortunately. No one was in the building,” relates the French consul, Clément Leclerc, to RTS. A complaint was filed the same day in Geneva for damage to the property.
“We have reason to believe that this start of fire is intentional,” confides Clément Leclerc, while specifying that he had not received any threats beforehand. “The Quai d'Orsay, in Paris, was notified. We have increased our security vigilance since then. The Geneva authorities have increased their level of attention on our site.” Barely a month later, this same French Consulate and its war memorial were vandalized, again leading to the filing of a complaint.
MPC would get
Initially seized, the Geneva Public Prosecutor's Office forwards the file to the Public Prosecutor's Office of the Confederation (MPC). Contacted, the latter confirms to the RTS that he is currently leading two proceedings against unknown person “for intentional fire, alternatively endangering the lives of others and damage to property”.
In this context, the MPC indicates that it was informed by the Geneva authorities of the depredations perpetrated against the French Consulate and that it is now he who will take over the case. “Investigations are ongoing, including checks regarding the potential link between the cases,” he concludes.
Raphaël Leroy, RTS investigation center
