Arrested for subversion fire in Zadar, they admitted their guilt, said the investigative judge of the Zadar County Court, Hrvoje Visković. They are charged with a serious crime against general security, which carries a prison sentence of between one and ten years.
The police suspect that they were arrested, according to a previous plan and mutual agreement, on August 14 and 15 at a total of ten locations in Zadar and the wider area of Zadar County in Croatia, deliberately caused a fire "by the action of thermal energy from an open flame or pieces of combustible matter with a lighter".
Translated into layman's language: they caused the fire on purpose.
The motive of the suspects for causing the fire is currently unknown, and the judge said that they defended themselves actively, that is, they presented a defense. The suspects started fires by burning dry grass on the side of the road.
"In all those places, an analysis of the origin of the fire has yet to be made. When it is seen what caused the fire, then their clothing must be analyzed, to see if there are traces of an incendiary agent on their clothing... So for now, we have the fact that they admitted to starting the fire, they say they started the fire with lighters, and that's all we have," said the investigating judge.
Intoxicated
According to judge Visković, all of them were detained because of the danger of repeating the crime. Three of them were detained due to the risk of influencing witnesses, and one due to the risk of fleeing because he is a person who has dual citizenship of Croatia and Serbia.
One of the arrested was previously convicted for theft, and the other is being prosecuted for theft as well.
Visković also confirmed that the three arrested men were intoxicated when they started the fire, while this has not yet been established for the Polish suspect.
According to the Croatian media, the three arrested are of Serbian nationality, and according to unofficial information, Uskok was also involved in the case, which checks whether there are elements of the criminal offense of terrorism, writes N1 from Zagreb.
Legal definition of arson
Ivica Dacic, Minister of the Serbian Police, said a few days ago that it is suspected that some fires were set in Serbia, but that the prosecution, if proceedings are initiated, would qualify such an act as negligence.
"The problem is in the qualifications of those crimes, even when you have very well-founded suspicions. The MUP reports someone, but you go to the prosecutors and they say that there is no criminal offense, but negligence," said Dacic.
Arson in Serbian law is a serious criminal offense of causing general danger or a more serious form of destruction of other people's property, for which prison sentences of several months to even 12 years of imprisonment are threatened, depending on the consequences and intent. If the fire was caused by the use of a firearm, the penalty is imprisonment from two to ten years.
However, if the fire was caused by negligence, a prison sentence of up to three years is provided.
Although arsonists are often highlighted in the media, their share in the causes of fires is relatively small, writes Indeks.hr.
Most fires caused by human factors result from negligence, writes Indeks.hr. These include careless disposal of cigarette butts, unattended outdoor fires, faulty electrical wiring, sparks from tools or burning waste.
Negligence is responsible for 60 to 70 percent of fires.
Natural causes of fire include lightning strikes, volcanic eruptions, and the like. In most areas, natural causes make up a smaller share of total forest fires - 10 to 20 percent
Deliberately caused fires, including pyromania, account for the remaining ten to 20 percent, and it is estimated that actual pyromania accounts for up to five percent.
What is pyromania?
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), pyromania is classified as an impulse control disorder.
When diagnosing, other motives for arson must be excluded, such as financial motives, political reasons or attempts to hide some criminal activity such as theft or murder.
Pyromania is relatively rare in the general population. It is estimated that less than one percent of people have this disorder. People with this disorder often have other psychiatric problems, such as depression, anxiety or personality disorders.
Psychologist Helena Rašić, head of the Bura counseling center in Croatia, tells Indeks.hr that arsonists, by setting fires, experience the release of accumulated anxiety, stress and frustration, and take control of their inner turmoil.
"Most of the fires that are set in Croatia are caused by people who are motivated by property, politics or from a conflict with some persons to whom the area being burned is connected, which can also be revenge, and an extremely small number are set by real arsonists," says Rašić.
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