NEW YORK, April 24 (Xinhua) -- A New York prosecutor said a man accused of entering St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City with gasoline was planning to burn down the iconic church, local media reported Wednesday.

Marc Lamparello, a 37-year-old man from the U.S. state of New Jersey, was arrested last Wednesday night after he attempted to enter the New York City landmark with two cans of gasoline, lighter fluid and butane lighters.

David Stuart, a New York prosecutor, said Wednesday during a brief court hearing that Lamparello was "planning to burn down St. Patrick's Cathedral," adding that he had spent "considerable time planning and surveilling" the church before his arrest, according to local media.

Lamparello has been charged with attempted arson, reckless endangerment and trespassing after his arrest last week, according to the New York Police Department.

The prosecutor revealed that Lamparello had also booked a hotel just 20 minutes from the Vatican, but made no further remarks about his intentions.

Police said previously that the St. Patrick's suspect had booked a flight to Rome for the next day.

Lamparello made his initial court appearance from a hospital. The judge ordered him to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

The New York incident came just days after a fire devastated the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Completed in 1878 and located in the most prosperous part of New York City, St. Patrick's Cathedral attracts millions of visitors from across the world every year. Enditem

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