The Bosnia-Herzegovina police arrested, in the Ljubuški area, a man suspected of having committed acts of vandalism last night in Medjugorje, desecrating the statue of the Madonna venerated by pilgrims with writings and attempting to set fire to the church of St. James which contains it.
The signaling and the fire at the external altar
In the early hours of the morning, the police were informed of the damage to the statue of the Madonna with the addition of various messages, while half an hour later the report of a fire on the external part of the altar of the church was received. The fire was quickly put out and did not spread to the church, but caused material damage to the recently renovated altar.
Surveillance cameras captured the moment an unidentified man poured a liquid, presumably petrol, on the outside altar and then set it on fire.
The writings on the statue and the banner against the visionaries
Offensive messages were written in black on the statue of the Madonna and in other places, including the words “Devil in a skirt”. The statue, also called Queen of Peace, was daubed with black spray paint on the pedestal and on the statue itself.
A banner in Polish was also hung near the altar with the writing: «Ivanka, Mirjana, Milka, Vicka, Ivan and Jakov are impostors. I have the proof”, citing the names of the six visionaries of Medjugorje who reported the first apparitions of Our Lady in 1981 and the messages they claimed to have received.
Investigations by the Bosnian police
The identity, citizenship and other information about the arrested man have not been released at this time. The Bosnian police continue their investigations to ascertain all the circumstances, the motive and the possible connection of the suspect with all the episodes recorded in Medjugorje.