A Bible distribution centre in Istanbul, Turkey caught fire earlier this month, burning more than 10,000 religious materials which included New Testament Bibles, and other teaching materials.
According to the report by Human Rights Watch, a suspected arsonist could have caused the incident at the Bible Correspondence Course in Turkey (BBC Turkey), which incurred almost $12,500 in total damages.
In the report, the fire began at a portion of the second floor of the building where the New Testament Bibles and other religious materials are located. The students who were living at a dormitory at the building's top floor reported the smoke.
Officials from the fire department were able to control the fire quickly as it was just contained at a small portion of the second floor. Meanwhile, there was no damage to the offices of BBC-Turkey, as well as the Kadikoy International Church, which were located at the third floor of the building.
"Our hunch is it is people who don't like people who do the activities we do here – mainly giving out free New Testaments and explaining the Christian faith to people," said co-founder of the BBC-Turkey David Byle.
However, in the report, the fire department initially refused to investigate the incident, insisting that it was caused by faulty electrical wiring.
Byle has already hired a lawyer to file charges against the fire department. In the report, he reportedly claims the fire department could have been trying its best to keep the incident from being released in local and international news outlets.
Police in Istanbul are now investigating the incident and looking for the suspected arsonist based on some evidence.