Key facts
- Slovak police thwarted a planned arson attack on a factory producing unmanned aerial systems.
- Three foreign nationals were detained in Slovakia and Germany in connection with the plot.
- No damage or injuries occurred during the thwarted attack.
- Police seized incendiary materials, tools, and a handwritten plan.
- Separately, Czech police arrested three suspects in connection with a fire at a drone warehouse supplying Ukraine.
- The Czech fire is being investigated as suspected arson linked to terrorism.
- The warehouse belonged to LPP Holding, which develops drone technology for Ukraine.
Slovak police announced on Tuesday that they had thwarted a planned arson attack on a factory that produces unmanned aerial systems, detaining three foreign nationals suspected of involvement. The suspects were apprehended in Slovakia and Germany, and no property damage or injuries were reported.
Authorities seized a significant quantity of incendiary mixture, tools, mobile phones, a camera, and a handwritten plan, according to a police statement. Approximately 70 people were present at the facility at the time the attack was planned. The suspects have been charged with public endangerment. The targeted factory and its precise location were not disclosed, nor was the suspected commissioning party.
This development follows a fire at a warehouse in Pardubice, Czech Republic, which destroyed the premises of LPP Holding, a company that supplies autonomous drones to Ukraine. Czech police are investigating the fire as a suspected arson linked to terrorism, with three suspects arrested, two in the Czech Republic and one in neighboring Slovakia. Czech authorities are seeking the extradition of the suspect detained in Slovakia, and all face charges of terrorist attack and participation in a terrorist group.
LPP Holding confirmed the fire and is cooperating with the investigation. The company develops and produces optoelectronics and unmanned vehicles for civilian and military use. The damages are estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of Czech crowns. Slovak police are collaborating with their Czech counterparts on the investigation, with reports suggesting the perpetrators of the Czech fire may have fled to Slovakia. Investigators are considering various motives, including terrorism, ideology, economic competition, and intelligence operations.