Overview
- A century‑old wooden Catholic church in Saint‑Simon, New Brunswick, was deliberately set on fire and declared a total loss after the blaze on Aug. 24, 2026.
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrested and charged 68‑year‑old Gilles Mallet, a local resident, with arson and he remains in custody following a bail hearing.
- The RCMP has told reporters there is so far no evidence the act was motivated by religion or that the suspect has foreign ties, and investigators are still probing whether hate was a factor.
- Viral social posts that named the suspect as a Palestinian or Israeli migrant have been debunked by fact‑checkers and tied back to the RCMP’s statement that the accused is from the community.
- The case has prompted political calls for tougher penalties for attacks on places of worship and renewed attention to a cluster of Canadian church fires since 2021 that have raised public concern about motive and prevention.