Arrest in Hamburg: Latvian man accused of planning arson attack on drone factory in Slovakia
A 26-year-old Latvian was arrested in Hamburg on the basis of a European arrest warrant. He is alleged to have planned an arson attack on a drone factory in eastern Slovakia together with two accomplices.
Hamburg police execute European arrest warrant against alleged saboteur
Following an allegedly foiled arson attack on a drone factory in eastern Slovakia, Hamburg police arrested a suspect on Tuesday. According to DER SPIEGEL (Justice & Crime), he is a 26-year-old man with Latvian citizenship.
A spokesperson for the Hamburg public prosecutor's office confirmed to SPIEGEL that a European arrest warrant issued by a Slovak court against the suspect had been executed. Slovakia has also filed an extradition request. The competent Hamburg district court subsequently issued a so-called remand order at the request of the public prosecutor's office — the Latvian has since been held in custody in Germany.
According to investigations by Slovak security authorities, the man arrested in Hamburg is said to have prepared the attack together with another Latvian and a Ukrainian national. Parallel to the arrest in Hamburg, the two alleged accomplices were arrested in Slovakia, the Slovak police announced. According to the public prosecutor's office in the Slovak city of Prešov, speaking to the news agency Reuters, both men are now in pre-trial custody.
The trio are accused of planning an arson attack "on behalf of" unnamed third parties on a factory for aerospace systems in eastern Slovakia, in which apparently military drones are also manufactured. The arrests were made on the basis of information from the Slovak intelligence service. Police seized larger quantities of a napalm-like incendiary mixture, technical equipment and handwritten notes from the suspects.
NATO member Slovakia borders Ukraine to the east. Whether the drone components produced in the factory are also used in the conflict with Russia remained unclear for the time being.
Hamburg criminal defence lawyer Christian Lange, who represents the suspect arrested in Germany, stated in response to a SPIEGEL enquiry that he initially did not wish to make a statement on the allegations against his client. The defence lawyers for the two other suspects were unavailable on Wednesday.