Slideshow ( 3 images )

OSLO (Reuters) - Norway’s Justice Minister Tor Mikkel Wara resigned on Thursday hours after police filed new accusations against his partner in a case involving bizarre domestic incidents that has baffled the Norwegian public.

Wara’s partner, Laila Anita Bertheussen, was first detained for questioning by police on March 14 on suspicion that she had set fire to their car and thus made up threats against the family.

Their home had been vandalized at least five times in recent months and Bertheussen is now a suspect in all cases, police said on Thursday.

“Tor Mikkel Wara has asked to resign,” Prime Minister Erna Solberg told a news conference as Wara stood by her side.

Bertheussen denies having either fabricated or presented threats.

“She believes PST (the security police) is on the wrong track. They have not presented any form of evidence and the suspicion is built on circumstantial factors,” her lawyer, John Christian Elden, told Reuters.

Solberg did not say who would replace Wara as justice minister.