A local man in his seventies has been arrested for committing arson in front of both the Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters and the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), PJ spokesman Chan Wun Man said during a special press conference yesterday.
The suspect surnamed Lei told the police he’s jobless.
According to Chan, on Sunday afternoon a fire was discovered at the entrance of the PJ headquarters where a number of police vehicles were parked. The police quickly extinguished the fire and later determined that it was caused by burning paper soaked in a flammable liquid.
Chan underlined that the police received a report from the Public Prosecutions Office later that afternoon regarding a man who had committed arson outside their main gate. The fire was promptly extinguished, but it resulted in damage to the gate and the ground. Towels soaked in a flammable liquid were found at the scene, Chan added.
The suspect, surnamed Lei, was apprehended within two hours at the bus terminal at the Barrier Gate checkpoint. Police found inflammable liquid and a lighter on him. Subsequently, the police discovered that Lei had purchased 1 litre of lighter fluid and 3 litres of petrol, with the intention of committing arson at government facilities.
Under questioning, Lei told the police that he had been deceived out of 800,000 patacas when he invested in a friend’s business in 2022. Although the fraudster was arrested and prosecuted, Lei expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome of the trial and planned to seek revenge on the authorities by committing arson.
Chan noted that after committing arson outside the PJ headquarters and the Public Prosecutions Office on Sunday afternoon, Lei had planned to commit arson once again outside the PJ headquarters, Macau Customs Service headquarters, a Public Security Police (PSP) station, as well as the Chief Executive’s Office as a form of “vengeance against society”.
Lei was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office yesterday, facing arson charges, according to Chan.
According to Article 264 of the Macau Penal Code, arson is punishable by imprisonment between three and 10 years.
This handout photo provided by the Judiciary Police (PJ) yesterday shows the main gate at the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) damaged in Sunday’s arson attack.
The hooded arsonist is escorted by Judiciary Police (PJ) officers to a PJ vehicle outside the PJ headquarters in Zape after yesterday’s special press conference.
– Photo: William Chan
