US and Czech citizens placed in pretrial detention over arson at plant supplying Ukraine

 

Czech intelligence asks if Russia used pro-Palestinian group as cover
A court in Pardubice remanded two of the three detained suspects; one shouted “Free Palestine” as police escorted him into the courthouse, despite their crime’s target having nothing to do with Israel.


A Czech court remanded two suspects into pre-trial custody over the 20 March arson at a Pardubice production facility, Novinky reported. The targeted facility belonged to Czech defense holding LPP Holding and housed production of Ukrainian subsidiary Archer, which manufactures drones for Ukraine's armed forces. A third suspect was detained in Slovakia, with extradition proceedings underway. Czech intelligence is now probing whether the pro-Palestinian group that claimed the attack was a front for a foreign intelligence operation targeting Ukrainian defense production on NATO soil.
Ukraine's defense production partners across Europe have become targets for sabotage as Kyiv's reliance on NATO-country manufacturing grows, with Czech firms alone having committed to supplying AI-guided drones, strike munitions, and long-range missiles to Ukraine's armed forces.

Two remanded, one sought in Slovakia

On 24 March, the Pardubice District Court found all three grounds for pre-trial detention — flight risk, risk of influencing witnesses and unidentified co-suspects, and risk of reoffending. Court spokesperson Karel Gobernac, who also ruled on the detention, said the suspects face a sentence of 20 years to an exceptional sentence.

Police stated there were no indications of any further danger to the public. Among the detained are citizens of the Czech Republic and the United States. One of those brought to court — a young man — shouted "Free Palestine" as police escorted him into the building. He did not answer journalists' questions.

A young woman was also brought before the court and declined to speak with the media. The court clarified that the foreign national among the two is the man, not the woman, as initially reported.


Militarnyi says one of the detained was identified as Youssef Motus, an Egyptian-born Czech citizen active in pro-Palestinian forums, who also identifies as an LGBT activist. The name of the second detainee — a woman — has not been disclosed, but photos show she had participated in pro-Palestinian, LGBT, and feminist actions in Czechia, including a 2023 pro-Palestinian event near a memorial to victims of Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution.

About 20 pro-Palestinian supporters gathered outside the courthouse during the proceedings. When police escorted the two suspects out, the group called out, "We love you." Police asked the group to present identification documents, and the activists then dispersed.

The fire on 20 March completely destroyed Archer's production facility and severely damaged its administrative building. LPP Holding estimates damages in the hundreds of millions of Czech crowns, and both buildings will likely need to be demolished. Archer relocated production to Pardubice after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, founding the Archer–LPP joint venture within LPP Holding. Company representatives said a Russian connection to the attack could not be ruled out.

The Earthquake Faction, which claimed responsibility, stated it targeted the facility over LPP Holding's cooperation with Israeli firm Elbit Systems and its alleged production of weapons for Israel. LPP Holding denied both claims: no Israeli drones had ever been produced at the plant, and a planned cooperation with Elbit Systems announced several years ago never moved forward. LPP had already supplied hundreds of AI-guided drones to Ukraine's armed forces, according to co-owner Radim Petráš.
Czech intelligence probes Russian false-flag

Czech intelligence services are not treating the Earthquake Faction's claim at face value. According to Militarnyi, investigators are working with the possibility of a "false flag" operation — meaning the group may have served as cover for a foreign intelligence actor. The Earthquake Faction threatened to publish documents it claimed to have stolen from LPP if the company did not sever ties with Elbit Systems by 20 April.

This is not the first time Ukrainian military equipment on NATO soil has been targeted under a pro-Palestinian banner. In June 2025, around 150 activists damaged Ukrainian-bound armored vehicles at Belgian defense firm OIP Land Systems in Tournai — an Elbit subsidiary — causing approximately €1 mn in damage and delaying a delivery to Ukraine by at least a month.

https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/03/25/us-and-czech-citizens-placed-in-pretrial-detention-over-arson-at-plant-supplying-ukraine-czech-intelligence-asks-if-russia-used-pro-palestinian-group-as-cover/