VIDEO: Arsonists attempt to torch Iceland’s Christmas goat

Two men were caught on camera in the early hours of this morning trying to set fire to the traditional Christmas goat outside the premises of IKEA Iceland.

The video shows the men approaching the protective fence surrounding the goat and brandishing what looks like a petrol bomb.

However, the duo’s plans were foiled when the device when off almost in their hands. They discarded it and it landed by a nearby tree, which subsequently caught fire. The arsonists then fled the scene.

MORE: Will the IKEA Yule goat survive?

The men have not been identified and no charges have been pressed, but IKEA now intends to step up surveillance around the much-loved Christmas symbol.

“The two men clearly had the sole intention of vandalising and were lucky not to have been seriously injured,” says IKEA’s Marketing and Environment Officer Guðný Camilla Aradóttir.

“They thought that this would be a bit of fun, but we are adamant that we take this very seriously. This is a very dangerous game. We want to see the goat there throughout the Christmas period, for everybody’s enjoyment.”