Authorities in the Czech Republic have arrested three people in connection to a late-night arson attack after a far-left militant group claimed to be responsible for the incident at a company warehouse that supplies drones for Ukraine. The fire is being investigated as terrorism.
Fire crews posted on X early Friday that they responded to flames inside a storage facility at a complex in Pardubice, roughly 120 kilometers east of Prague. The fire spread to a nearby structure but no injuries were reported. The three suspects are facing charges of terrorism and being part of a terror group.
According to RadioFreeEurope, a far-left militant group on Telegram known as "Earthquake Faction" claimed that they ignited a "key manufacturing hub" for Israeli weapons in Pardubice in an effort to halt its role in the "genocide against Palestine, Iran, and Lebanon."
Two of the suspects arrested were taken into custody in Czech territory, but the third was detained in the neighboring country of Slovakia. The suspects are Czech as well as US nationals, per ABC News.
Defense company LPP Holding, which operates at the site, acknowledged the fire at one of its buildings. However, it stated that a previously announced 2023 plan to partner with Israeli firm Elbit Systems on drone manufacturing never moved forward.
"No Israeli drones have ever been manufactured at our facility," LPP said.
Police in the Czech Republic said that there may be more suspects that need to be arrested: “We continue to work intensively to apprehend the remaining suspects, also in cooperation with foreign partners.”
Officials confirmed that investigators, including security services, were handling the case under laws related to terrorism. Prime Minister Andrej Babis said he would call a meeting of the state security council in response to the situation.
