A Czech court has remanded in custody an American citizen accused of arson at the LPP Holding military plant in the eastern city of Pardubice, who was previously extradited from Slovakia, ČTK reported.
Six people have been detained in the Czech Republic in connection with the arson of the defense enterprise. They are Czech citizens and foreigners. The arrested are charged under articles of the Czech Criminal Code for terrorism and face up to 20 years in prison or life imprisonment.
The fire broke out on the morning of March 20 at the LPP Holding industrial complex in Pardubice, which produces unmanned aerial vehicles for Ukraine. The fire destroyed one of the workshops and damaged an administrative building. The damage is estimated at tens of millions of euros. According to Czech media, nine suspects have been detained in the case. Six of them are being held in custody by the Pardubice District Court.
Meanwhile, Polish media reported on April 1 that two Polish citizens had been detained in this case. The ninth person is a foreigner detained in Bulgaria.
Czech media reported earlier that according to security camera footage, the terrorist attack in Pardubice was carried out by a group of nine people, including at least two women. A previously unknown pro-Palestinian group, “The Earthquake Faction“, claimed responsibility for the arson of the LPP Holding premises, stating its intention to attack factories producing weapons for Israel.
Several years ago, LPP Holding announced plans to jointly develop and produce unmanned aerial vehicles in Pardubice with the Israeli company Elbit Systems. However, according to LPP Holding representatives, these plans never materialized.