Authorities in Greece have arrested 79 suspects believed to be behind arson attacks that caused the recent devastating wildfires across the country.
Greek government officials labeled the suspects “arsonist scum” while announcing the arrests.
The nation’s Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said people have been caught trying to start new fires after authorities managed to get the wildfires under control.
There had been several attempts by arsonists to start new fires on Mount Parnitha, north-west of Athens, Kikilias revealed.
The blaze is one of hundreds in the nation this month.
In Greece, wildfires have already killed at least 20 people this week alone.
“You are committing a crime against the country,” Kikilias said, according to the BBC.
“Arsonist scum are setting fires that threaten forests, property and, most of all, human lives,” Kikilias told Greeks during a televised emergency briefing on Thursday.
“You will not get away with it, we will find you, you will be held accountable.”
Summer wildfires are common in Greece and have been for thousands of years.
However, the corporate media has been repeatedly trying to link extreme weather events, such as heatwaves and wildfires, to so-called “climate change.”
But such claims ignore the fact that wildfires and heatwaves were common on Earth long before the Industrial Revolution.
Stefan Doerr, who directs the Centre for Wildfire Research at Swansea University, says poor vegetation management during hot weather creates more flammable landscapes.
Such conditions mean that arson and other incidents can more easily turn into fast-moving wildfires.
Police and Greek intelligence service EYP are investigating the incidents, AFP reported.
Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis told Greek public broadcaster ERT that of 140 wildfire-related arrests, 79 were related to arson.
Hundreds of firefighters across Greece have been battling deadly wildfires.
The large fire front which erupted on Saturday near the port city of Alexandroupolis has become the EU’s largest on record, according to European commissioner Janez Lenarcic.
Meanwhile, on Mount Parnitha near Athens, fires have been raging in a forest adjoining the capital, threatening a national park.
