On March 24, a court in the Czech city of Pardubice decided to continue holding two defendants in a case involving an arson attack against a facility belonging to LPP Holding, a company that supplies drones to Ukraine. The attack occurred on the morning of March 20. A total of three suspects have been detained: two in the Czech Republic and one in Slovakia (Czech police are seeking his extradition).
According to the police, at least one of those detained holds U.S. citizenship. Two of the suspects have been charged with a terrorist act and participation in a terrorist group.
Police stated that the court fully granted the prosecutor’s motion to continue holding the suspects, as all three were recognized to pose a risk of flight, collusion, and continued criminal activity. Law enforcement officials stressed that there are currently no signs of a new threat to the public; however, the search for other suspects is ongoing, in cooperation with foreign partners.
One of the defendants shouted “Free Palestine!” to journalists, while supporters gathered outside the courthouse with Palestinian flags and keffiyehs. As the defendants were being escorted out of the building, the protesters shouted words of encouragement to them. Czech authorities have not yet disclosed the identities of the suspects, apart from their citizenship.
On the same day, the Earthquake Faction, the group that claimed responsibility for the arson, released a second communiqué. It demanded that LPP Holding publicly sever all ties with Israel’s Elbit Systems by April 20 and that it condemn the “occupation of Palestine,” threatening to publish allegedly stolen internal company documents if the firm did not comply. LPP Holding had previously denied cooperating with Elbit Systems or producing drones for Israel at the site that suffered the arson attack. In its latest statement, LPP asserted that the damaged buildings housed no production equipment for Elbit drones nor for its own MTS drones, but instead contained administrative and warehouse spaces, as well as facilities for the production and modernization of other equipment. The company said it had complied with security requirements and, following the attack, strengthened security measures.
Meanwhile, Earthquake Faction’s claims about the theft of “classified” documents remain unconfirmed. While a video does show attackers taking papers from desks, there is no evidence of their value or content.
The company has stated that the fire did not affect the supply of MTS 40 strike drones to Ukraine. According to Czech media, the damage may amount to several million dollars. Investigators are treating the incident as a terrorist act.
