A man has been arrested after lighting a cigarette from the eternal flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris, a sacred site dedicated to fallen soldiers.
The shocking act, which took place under the Arc de Triomphe, sparked outrage after video of the moment surfaced online.
The clip shows a man bending down to the flame, lighting his cigarette, then walking off as stunned tourists looked on.
French authorities confirmed on Tuesday that the suspect was taken into custody after admitting to the offence.
Bruno Retailleau, France's Interior Minister, wrote on X: 'The man who desecrated the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by lighting a cigarette with the memorial flame was arrested in Paris for violating a burial site, tomb, urn, or monument erected in memory of the dead. He was taken into custody and admitted the facts.'
