Attack on drone factory in Slovakia foiled – arrest in Hamburg
A 26-year-old Latvian was arrested in Hamburg after Slovak police prevented a planned arson attack on a drone factory.
Suspect arrested in Hamburg: planned arson attack on Slovak drone factory thwarted
German police have arrested an alleged saboteur in Hamburg who is suspected of planning an arson attack on a drone factory in eastern Slovakia. According to n-tv, citing Der Spiegel, the arrest took place on Tuesday – the detained man is a 26-year-old Latvian national.
Slovak police had previously announced in Bratislava that they had prevented the planned attack. Had it been carried out, it would have caused "a major fire" according to the authorities, endangering around 70 employees and damaging assets worth several tens of millions of euros. In total, three suspects were arrested: two in Slovakia, one in Germany.
A spokesman for Hamburg's public prosecutor's office confirmed to Der Spiegel that a European arrest warrant issued by a Slovak court was executed in the Hanseatic city. Additionally, an extradition request from Slovakia is pending. The competent Hamburg district court issued what is known as a "detention order" at the request of the public prosecutor's office – the 26-year-old is currently in custody in Germany.
Slovakia is an EU and NATO member state and borders Ukraine to the east. Several companies manufacture drones there, including the Ukrainian company Skyeton. Slovak police stated that the three suspects are accused of acting "on behalf of" others and preparing the attack. None of the arrested individuals hold Slovak citizenship.
According to their own statements, investigators became active following information from the Slovak intelligence service. During the operations, police seized, among other things, a "large quantity" of an incendiary mixture as well as tools and mobile phones.
Source: n-tv