A suspect linked to a far-left movement has been arrested in France after a 19th Century city hall was gutted by a fire over the weekend that broke out during mass disorder, French media report.
The clock tower and parts of the roof of the ornate city hall in the central city of Limoges were engulfed in flames before collapsing on Saturday.
The 40-year-old suspect is known for acts of violence against public officials and has been classified as an “S” subject, meaning he is a potential threat to national security, FranceInfo reported.
More than 120 people have already been imprisoned following widespread demonstrations across France, French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin told CNews-Europe.
Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets to protest against rising fuel prices, the cost of living and deteriorating public services, including schools.
Darmanin said he asked prosecutors to be “extremely firm” and “ruthless towards those who attacked police officers, gendarmes and firefighters, who looted shops and who attacked public buildings”.
The justice minister insisted France did not need to be put into a state of emergency which would “deprive all French people of their individual freedoms”.
But French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu earlier said he had not ruled out imposing a state of emergency.
