Pardubice a day after the attack: Hungary designates Earthquake Faction a terrorist organization, experts speak of an accomplice

The investigation into Friday's attack on the LPP Holding arms plant in Pardubice has officially shifted to a terrorism footing. The case is being handled by the National Centre against Terrorism, Extremism and Cybercrime in cooperation with the civilian counterintelligence service BIS and Military Intelligence. All four investigative theories the detectives are working with involve deliberate arson — however, the investigation has not yet confirmed any of them, and the identity of the perpetrators remains unknown. RFE/RL ↗ Expats.cz ↗

According to Olga Dupličuková, a shareholder of the company Archer-LPP, the extent of the damage is devastating: "Nearly all production was destroyed, including finished products in storage." This is not just about drones. The affected complex also belonged to Archer-LPP, a subsidiary of LPP Holding, which manufactured top-tier military optics — thermal imaging sights, night vision devices, and optoelectronic systems for the military, including supplies to Ukrainian security forces. A 25 × 35 metre hall with a reinforced concrete structure completely collapsed under the heat, and the fire also spread to the adjacent administrative building. The attack thus represents a strategic strike against the Czech defence industry. Pravda.sk ↗ Archer-LPP.cz ↗

The group Earthquake Faction, which presents itself as an "international underground network" fighting against the Israeli military industry, has claimed responsibility for the attack. The group published a video of the arson and two written statements claiming that the complex was used for "developing weapons for the Zionist entity." However, its claim of responsibility has not been independently confirmed, and its credibility is seriously in question: the group's website was registered only a day before the attack, its Telegram channel has been active since Friday, and the group has no prior track record. Investigators are therefore also working with the theory that the claim of responsibility could be a cover for another perpetrator. LPP Holding itself has repeatedly denied any cooperation with Israel's Elbit — a planned tender was cancelled, and Israeli drones were never manufactured at the site. The actual target of the attack may thus have differed from what the group claims. Times of Israel ↗ Novinky.cz ↗

Several security experts, independently of one another, suggest that someone entirely different from whoever is claiming responsibility could be behind the attack. Andor Šándor, former head of the Czech Military Intelligence Service, told the Pardubický deník that the attackers must have known the site well: "In any case, the arsonists went in with certainty," he said, adding that the question arises whether they had an accomplice directly inside the company. Šándor also pointed to the illogical nature of the stated motive: "In the statement they refer to Gaza, which strikes me as rather odd, given that the conflict in Gaza began three years ago and is no longer in an active phase." Political scientist Jan Charvát of Charles University added, in comments to Deník N, that the language of the statements is "very neutral" and, in his view, corresponds more to a pro-Iranian group, while the attack itself was not technically complex and two people could have sufficed to prepare it. Charvát identified three equally plausible circles of possible perpetrators: a pro-Palestinian group, a link to Iran, and a Russian false-flag operation. Deník.cz ↗ Deník N ↗

Among the leads being examined is also possible Russian sabotage. Security expert Jiří Suchora recalled the precedent from 2015, when the attack on the French television network TV5Monde, initially attributed to Islamists, was ultimately found to have been carried out by the Russian hacking group APT 28, linked to the GRU military intelligence service. The Czech outlet iRozhlas.cz, in a detailed analysis, compared the incident to the 2014 explosion at the Vrbětice ammunition depot, which was carried out by GRU agents. Prime Minister Babiš explicitly referenced this case: "We know very well what happened, we remember Vrbětice." However, the Russian lead is not yet confirmed, just as no other theory is — and the comparison to Vrbětice is, at this stage, more of a political signal than a conclusion of the investigation. Pravda.sk ↗ iRozhlas.cz ↗

The first foreign political step was Saturday's decision by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to place Earthquake Faction on the list of terrorist organizations. "If any member of this group attempts to enter Hungary, we will arrest them immediately," Orbán declared in a video address. The Hungarian government also ordered heightened security at defence plants across the country. This is, however, a unilateral decision by Budapest unrelated to the results of the Czech investigation — the Czech authorities have not yet designated the group a terrorist organization. Orbán's move is likely related primarily to protecting Hungary's own arms industry at a time of growing regional insecurity — Hungary had already tightened protection of energy facilities previously. Telex.hu ↗ Novinky.cz ↗

Despite the extensive damage, the Czech initiative Dárek pro Putina (Gift for Putin), which finances the purchase of military equipment for Ukraine, stated that the fire will not affect the planned deliveries of MTS 40 strike drones to Ukraine. According to available information, LPP Holding had, even before the attack, already delivered several hundred Divoká svině drones equipped with artificial intelligence and resistance to electronic jamming to Ukrainian units. The company was also developing Narwhal guided missiles with a range of 680 kilometres, with serial production due to start in early 2026. On Saturday afternoon, forensic teams began working at the site with the assistance of a tracked excavator — however, answers to the key questions of who ordered the attack, who carried it out, and what its real motive was are still lacking. Ukrainska Pravda ↗ ČT24 ↗ RFE/RL ↗