Poland detains two over arson attack on Czech drone factory

Activists held as investigation into LPP Holding fire continues

Two Polish citizens have been detained in connection with an arson attack on an optics and drone factory in the Czech Republic, Polish prosecutors said on Wednesday.

The fire on the night of March 19-20 damaged a building used by Czech defence group LPP Holding at an industrial complex in Pardubice, about 120 km (75 miles) east of Prague. A group claiming responsibility said in an online statement that the targeted company was developing weapons for Israel.

National Prosecutors' Office spokesperson Katarzyna Calow-Jaszewska said that two Polish citizens have been detained for three months in relation to the LPP Holding case and the investigation was at an early stage, with prosecutors awaiting further information from Czech authorities.

TVP Info, which reported the arrests earlier on Wednesday, had said that the two Poles, aged 22 and 23, were pro-Palestinian activists and were arrested by the Internal Security Agency (ABW) on Mar 24.

The details on the pair couldn't immediately be verified. The ABW did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Czech and Slovak police had previously detained five suspects in the case, including an Egyptian and a US citizen.

LPP Holding announced plans in 2023 to cooperate with Israeli group Elbit Systems but has said those plans were never implemented. The company produces drones that are exported to Ukraine, which has been fighting Russian forces since Moscow's full-scale invasion in 2022.