A 33-year-old man was arrested in the city of Mendoza, Argentina, accused of setting fire to the Christmas tree installed on the Sarmiento pedestrian street, in the heart of the city. According to official sources, the suspect was identified as Gonzalo Emmanuel Vídela Castro. He was detained during the night of Friday following a series of investigative tasks led by corrective prosecutor Giselle Lana. The suspect is at the disposal of the Unit for Unspecialized Crimes and will be charged with arson after the analysis of various evidence, including records from the Strategic Operations Center, private camera footage, and testimonies from people in the area at the time of the incident. The case is under the supervision of prosecutor Mónica Fernández Poblet, and the fire caused damage to the structure of the element, located on one of the main commercial and tourist walks of the provincial capital. "The Mendoza Grinch": one arrested for trying to set a Christmas tree on fire. Local media reported that the attack may have been linked to protests by anti-mining sectors and that the fire was not an isolated or spontaneous act, but the result of prior planning. It is also considered that the investigation is analyzing the possible participation of other people and the background of the incident in the context of demonstrations against mining activity in the province.
