Four people charged with burning railway infrastructure in Riga in Russia's interests
The State Security Service has initiated criminal prosecution against four suspects for burning railway infrastructure in foreign interests. All four are in custody.
Railway sabotage in Riga: State Security Service recommends charges against four people
On 21 May, the State Security Service recommended to the prosecutor's office that criminal proceedings be initiated against four people for burning railway infrastructure in Riga in foreign interests, according to LSM.
The investigation identified four arson incidents — three of them carried out in October of last year, one in January of this year. The fires destroyed electrical distribution cabinets that light the railway, as well as relay cabinets connected to train traffic control systems.
Three suspects were detained in January by the State Police in cooperation with the State Security Service. A fourth person acted as an intermediary — finding the principal perpetrator and coordinating payment for the tasks carried out. This person was already in prison, serving a sentence for other criminal offences.
The burning incidents were recorded in video materials, which were sent as reports to the person who assigned the tasks via the Telegram application.
The State Police initially opened criminal proceedings for intentional destruction of foreign property, but after obtaining evidence of foreign interests, the State Security Service took over the case. The suspects are recommended to be charged with aiding a foreign state in activities directed against Latvia as part of a group and intentional destruction of foreign property by arson.
The State Security Service noted that this is already the third criminal case in the past two years related to infrastructure burning in Russia's interests. The service emphasised that the purpose of such sabotage is to create a sense of fear in society, undermine confidence in the state's ability to protect residents, and prevent Latvia's support for Ukraine.
Source: LSM