‘Russia is involved here’: Petr Fiala comments on bus arson attempts in Prague
The arson attack was stopped and the suspect was arrested by the police
Following the arrest of a suspect in an attempted bus arson attack in Prague, Czech authorities accused Moscow of involvement in the crime.
‘It is not only possible, but also very likely that Russia is involved in this case,’ Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Czech television after a meeting of the National Security Council on Monday, 10 June.
He said that on 6 June, an attempt was made to set fire to buses of the Prague public transport company, which was thwarted by the quick actions of employees.
‘Everything indicates that it was organised and financed from abroad,’ Fiala said. He thanked the secret service and police for their ‘exceptionally good and professional work’. According to the Czech prime minister, the investigation is ongoing.
Meanwhile, according to police, the arson suspect was detained last weekend. He is a 26-year-old foreign national who arrived in the Czech Republic a few days ago.
The court decided to remand him in pre-trial detention on charges of committing a terrorist offence, the statement goes on to say. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
According to dpa, the detainee is a native of South America.
The Czech Republic is one of the staunch supporters of Ukraine, which is defending itself against Russian invasion. Among other things, the Czech authorities have organised the purchase of 800,000 rounds of ammunition for Ukraine from third countries and have engaged dozens of other Kyiv allies in this initiative.
On 26 May, The New York Times reported on the growing number of sabotage operations in Europe that US and allied intelligence officials attribute to Russia. According to Western intelligence agencies, these operations may be part of a Russian campaign aimed at undermining support for Ukraine in the war against Russia.
According to the newspaper, Russian intelligence services carried out arson attacks on various facilities. These include a warehouse in England, a paint factory in Poland, houses in Latvia and an IKEA furniture store in Lithuania.
But the people suspected of working for Russia could also be planning attacks on US military bases.
Background. In France, a native of Donbas, who was allegedly preparing a sabotage, reportedly blew himself up while making explosives.
If you have read this article to the end, we hope that means it was useful for you.
We work to ensure that our journalistic and analytical work is of high quality, and we strive to perform it as competently as possible. This also requires financial independence. Support us for only UAH 196 per month.
Become a Mind subscriber for just USD 5 per month and support the development of independent business journalism!
You can unsubscribe at any time in your LIQPAY account or by sending us an email: [email protected]
