This Muslim was carrying out the command of Muhammad as depicted in a hadith: “Do not leave any image without defacing it or any built-up grave without leveling it” (Sahih Muslim 969).

“The judge considers the burning of the church of Fontellas to be an Islamist attack and orders the perpetrator banned from Catholic buildings,” imperfectly translated (corrections welcome) from “El juez considera un ataque islamista la quema de la iglesia de Fontellas e impone al autor el alejamiento de edificios católicos,” by Ignacio Murillo, Navarra.com, September 10, 2016 (thanks to Alonso):

A judge in Tudela has issued Saturday an order mandating that the North African who last Thursday attacked and burned several images of the Virgin in the church of Fontellas must keep 10 meters away from religious centers of Catholic worship.

He considers that this is an act of an Islamic faction opposed to the religious values ​​of the West. Nor can the attacker approach events or religious ceremonies, such as a procession of Catholic worship, whether public or private.

The purpose of the order is to try to protect Catholic buildings from more attacks, so the judge imposed “the order of prohibition to approach or enter buildings, centers or places that are used for Catholic religious worship, as well as any act of this kind, this order will remain in force until the end of the case either by file or by final judgment.”

The National Police on Friday arrested the perpetrator of the attack, a North African residing in Ribera. It was Fontellas’ own parish priest who called for assistance because smoke was pouring out of the church. One of the side chapels was completely destroyed and several statues were burned. Part of the ornamentation of the chapel ceiling fell, and the nave was left blackened by soot.

From the first moment it was considered that the fire was intentional. Police found the perpetrator in less than 24 hours, the man whom the judge has now made this decision to ban from buildings of Catholic worship.

In the order, the judge considered that in recent months, the man had become radicalized after leading a seemingly normal life. However, after returning from a vacation to his country of origin, Morocco, he carried out the action against the church of Fontellas, something which signifies an attack on “the cultural heritage, given its economic value and its value to most of the town.”

The judge considers that this act was a more or less coordinated action by an Islamic faction that is opposed to Western religious values.

The man has acknowledged the facts, has not repented and said he has earned heaven with its action. Also, according to police investigations, he seems to be the perpetrator of other attacks on churches in nearby locations in the Ribera de Navarre, doing damage to Catholic religious symbols, such as defacing sacred books.

According to the judge, in light of the fact that the man burned some “banners” upon confusing them with religious symbols, everything suggests “that exists in the subject of the investigation a radicalization of a religious character, which was not motivated by alcohol or drugs, or any altered mental state.”

For this reason the judge considers it necessary to protect buildings and places of Catholic worship in order to prevent these actions from recurring, “which with more or less economic damage, come to produce frustration and even anger in the locations where they have taken place.”