Fire at the Pardubice arms factory: police investigating sabotage, unknown group claims responsibility

The fire at an industrial hall in Pardubice may not be just a local incident. According to initial findings, it involves a plant connected to the development of military technologies for Ukraine. The affected hall belongs to the Czech arms company LPP Holding, which, according to several expert sources, is also working on technologies intended for longer-range operations. According to available information, serial production of new products was set to start in the coming months. Defense Express ↗ Aviation Week ↗

LPP Holding manufactures unmanned aircraft of various categories. These include reconnaissance drones as well as more advanced unmanned systems. The company is also working on the development of other technologies, including guided missiles. Co-owner of the company Radim Petráš previously described to the media a concept of coordinated deployment, in which drones overload air defense while other systems operate above them. According to expert media, the first combat tests of some products in Ukraine were planned for early 2026. Army Recognition ↗ Euromaidan Press ↗

A group calling itself The Earthquake Faction, presenting itself as a pro-Palestinian network, has claimed responsibility for starting the fire. Its credibility is being questioned, however — according to the Israeli daily Times of Israel, the group's web domain was registered only one day before the attack, and the group has no prior track record. Czech police confirmed that they are verifying the reliability of this information and are intensively searching for the perpetrators. Police President Martin Vondráček stated that investigators are working with four scenarios, all of which involve deliberate arson. Times of Israel ↗ RFE/RL ↗

The attack in Pardubice recalls a series of incidents targeting facilities of the Israeli arms company Elbit Systems in Europe. In October 2024, a teenager shot at Elbit's office in Gothenburg — a Swedish court later convicted four minors. In June 2024, explosives were found in front of the same office. In August 2024, activists from the British group Palestine Action stormed Elbit's plant in Bristol, causing a million pounds' worth of damage. Britain subsequently placed Palestine Action on its list of terrorist organizations in July 2025, although the Supreme Court declared this ban unlawful in February 2026. A direct link between these incidents and the Pardubice fire has not yet been confirmed. Times of Israel ↗ CNN ↗ CNN ↗

The Czech portal Seznam Zprávy cites unnamed security sources, according to which investigators are not ruling out alternative scenarios either, including the possible involvement of a state actor. The Earthquake Faction is a group with no trace in history, and the fire could also have an impact on projects related to support for Ukraine. Furthermore, LPP Holding denied that it had ever manufactured Israeli drones in the hall — according to a spokeswoman, the planned cooperation with Elbit never materialized because the tender was canceled. If confirmed, the declared pro-Palestinian motivation of the attackers loses its justification. RFE/RL ↗ Expats.cz ↗

Due to the incident, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš turned his plane around during a trip to Budapest and convened an emergency meeting of the State Security Council, which lasted six hours. The investigation was taken over by the National Center against Terrorism, Extremism and Cyber Crime in cooperation with the civilian counterintelligence service BIS and military intelligence. Enhanced security is expected at defense plants throughout the Czech Republic. In response to the event, Slovak police also adopted preventive security measures, although according to their statement they currently do not register a direct threat. The investigation thus continues in a situation combining industry, geopolitics, and security risks — and the answer to the question of who is truly behind the attack is still missing. DevDiscourse ↗ US News ↗