Czech law enforcement officials have announced the arrest of a fifth suspect in the case concerning the arson of a military factory in the city of Pardubice. The arrest took place on March 30 during the continuation of the investigation into this high-profile case related to the fire at the facility of LPP Holding.
This is reported by Finway
Incident Circumstances and Investigation Progress
According to police information, the arrested individual has already been formally charged, and a decision is currently being made regarding their continued detention. The day before, another suspect, a citizen of the Czech Republic, was arrested. In total, at least five individuals are involved in the case, suspected of being connected to the attack.
The fire broke out on March 20 in the production workshop of LPP Holding – a company specializing in the manufacture of unmanned systems, including for the needs of Ukraine. The fire also damaged the company’s office. It is worth noting that in December 2025, the company publicly showcased the Narwhal cruise missile with a claimed range of over 600 km, which was planned to be delivered to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Motives for the Attack and Company Response
The group “Earthquake Faction,” previously unknown to law enforcement, claimed responsibility for the arson. The perpetrators justified their actions as a protest against the production of weapons for Israel at this facility and declared their fight against “genocide against Palestine, Iran, and Lebanon.” A day before the arson, they registered a website, and after the incident, they created a Telegram channel where they published a video of the hangar fire.
LPP Holding confirmed the occurrence of a fire at one of its facilities and refrained from commenting on the causes or details of the incident. The company also noted that in 2023, LPP Holding planned to participate in a tender for the Israeli company Elbit, which was ultimately canceled.
“LPP Holding confirmed that a fire occurred at ‘one of its facilities’ and declined to ‘speculate on the causes or circumstances of the incident.’
LPP Holding reported that the police are considering the possible involvement of the Russian Federation in the arson in Pardubice. At the same time, the police have not officially commented on any potential connection to Russia but emphasize that they are exploring various versions of this incident. Russia has previously categorically denied its involvement in hybrid attacks on the territory of EU countries.