The suspects are Czech and American nationals, police said without giving further details.
PRAGUE (AP) – Police in the Czech Republic said Tuesday that three suspects have been arrested after a fire destroyed the warehouse of a company that supplied autonomous drones in Ukraine.
The fire is being investigated suspected terrorism-related arsonsaid the police.
Two of the suspects were arrested on Czech territory, but the third was detained in neighboring Slovakia. Czech authorities are now seeking the suspect’s extradition.
They face charges of terrorist attack and participation in a terrorist group.
The suspects are Czech and American nationals, police said without giving further details.
“We continue to work intensively to catch the remaining suspects, even in cooperation with foreign partners”, they said.
The fire broke out in an industrial area in the town of Pardubice, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of Prague, destroying the warehouse building but causing no injuries, police said.
LPP Holding has confirmed a fire in one of its facilities and said it is cooperating with the investigation.
The company develops and manufactures products for civilian and military use, such as autonomous drone technologies used by the armed forces of Ukraine in the fight against Russian invasion.
Interior Minister Lubomír Metnar said the incident could be linked to a terrorist attack and the Czech side was sharing details of the investigation with its foreign partners.
Senior police officer Martin Vondrášek said police assumed the fire was arson. The fire was extinguished by firefighters and police said there was no danger to the public.
LPP Holding had previously said it was planning to open a center in Pardubice for the development and production of drones and personnel training in cooperation with Israel’s Elbit Systems, a military technology company. However, after the attack she said the joint venture never came to fruition.
Gun manufacturers across the country have since stepped up security measures.
LPP Holding said no weapons were produced in the building that was attacked.
Unlike the previous pro-Western government, the new Czech government led by populist billionaire Andrej Babiš has rejected any financial aid to Ukraine and guarantees for European Union loans to the struggling country. The invasion of Russia. Czechs join the ranks of Viktor Orbán of Hungary and Robert Fico of Slovakia, who have led the opposition to EU support for Ukraine.
However, popular support for Ukraine remains high.
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