Lofoten court sentences two men for arson spree in Laukvik

Two German men have been sentenced by the Salten and Lofoten District Court for a series of arsons in Laukvik, Lofoten, during the summer of 2025. The primary defendant received a prison sentence of two years and eight months, while the second man was sentenced to eight months. The court also ordered them to pay a combined 125,000 NOK in damages.

The arson spree included several incidents over a nine-day period. One fire targeted dried cod at Saga Fisk AS, damaging approximately 12,000 kilograms of fish and resulting in insurance claims exceeding one million NOK. Another incident involved the total destruction of a funeral chapel at a cemetery, where the defendants also placed a gas canister inside the building.

Evidence against the men included photos and videos of the fires found on their mobile phones. In one video, the defendants were heard laughing while discussing the possibility of the gas canister exploding. The court characterized the chapel incident as gross vandalism due to the building's religious significance. The men were also apprehended after local residents tracked and surrounded them before police arrived.