Man Arrested for Lighting Cigarette on Paris Tomb of Unknown Soldier Flame

A man in Paris was arrested after being filmed lighting a cigarette from the eternal flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath the Arc de Triomphe, a memorial dedicated to fallen French soldiers from World War I. The shocking act sparked widespread outrage, with French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau confirming the man's arrest for violating a burial site and stating that the suspect admitted to the offense. Patricia Miralles, the Minister for Veterans and Remembrance, condemned the behavior as an insult to France's history and those who died for the nation, announcing legal action to ensure sanctions are imposed. The 47-year-old Moroccan man, known to police with prior offenses, is expected to be stripped of his French residency permit. The incident, filmed by a Latvian tourist and shared on social media, has been widely criticized as a desecration of a sacred national symbol that honors the sacrifice of millions of soldiers. The eternal flame has continuously burned since 1923 as a tribute, and the act has been described as deeply unworthy and deplorable by officials.