This is the moment an alleged arsonist was arrested on the Costa del Sol for starting six forest fires since July

The Guardia Civil has arrested an alleged arsonist for reportedly starting six forest fires in different municipalities across the province of Malaga since last July. The latest incident attributed to him occurred last Sunday in Mijas, which once again forced Plan Infoca firefighting personnel to be deployed to extinguish the flames.

The authorities had practically identified him and, after the latest incident, they went to the motorhome where he was living, located in an area of Malaga city, to proceed with his arrest. Apparently, the suspect admitted to the officers that he was behind the fires. Following his appearance before the court, he has been remanded in custody.

According to the Guardia Civil, the alleged arsonist set fire to areas of high ecological value in the municipalities of Mijas, Ojén and Alhaurín de la Torre, and on three separate occasions in Alhaurín el Grande.

These fires were classified as minor outbreaks thanks to swift alerts from local residents and sightings by environmental officers from the Junta de Andalaucía. All of them required intervention from Plan Infoca wildfire specialists to prevent the flames from spreading, as the fires were close to urban areas and large wooded zones.

As part of Operation Moonwalker, the Guardia Civil launched an investigation to identify the perpetrator. They observed that the suspect followed the same pattern, starting the fires during daylight hours and in areas with difficult access. As inquiries continued, they confirmed that he had been present in the locations where all these fires had occurred.

The operation was carried out by officers from Guardia Civil's Seprona nature protection branch, in collaboration with the forest fire investigation unit of the Junta de Andalucía regional government’s environmental department.