Czech Republic Detains “Pro-Palestinian Activists” Over Archer Factory Arson – Face 20+ Years

Czech authorities have arrested two “pro-Palestinian activists” suspected of setting fire to a workshop linked to Archer’s Ukrainian subsidiary and the Czech arms holding LPP Holding.

According to Novinky, police detained three people in total. Two of them – a young woman and a man – have been brought to court. The third suspect was arrested in Slovakia, and Czech authorities are now seeking his extradition. Investigators are also searching for other possible accomplices.

Among those detained are citizens of the Czech Republic and the United States. They face up to 20 years in prison on terrorism-related charges.

None of the accused has admitted guilt and has effectively refused to give testimony. At the same time, investigators say all three grounds for pre-trial detention are present: risk of flight, potential influence on witnesses and accomplices whose identities have not yet been established, and the risk of continuing criminal activity.

The fire in Pardubice completely destroyed the production workshop and severely damaged the administrative building of the Ukrainian-Czech company. Representatives of the holding estimate the losses at hundreds of millions of Czech crowns and say that both facilities will most likely have to be demolished.

Archer relocated its production to Pardubice after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, establishing Archer–LPP, which became part of the LPP Holding group. According to company representatives, a possible Russian connection to the attack cannot be ruled out.

Czech intelligence services are examining the possibility of a “false flag” operation, in which a previously unknown radical group may have served merely as a cover for the actions of a foreign intelligence service.

Responsibility for the fire was claimed by a group of “pro-Palestinian activists” calling itself Earthquake Faction, which said it intended to target weapons production for Israel.

Several years ago, LPP Holding announced plans to jointly produce and develop drones in Pardubice with the Israeli company Elbit Systems. However, production of Israeli drones at the LPP Holding facility never began, and the cooperation announced two years ago never materialized.

This is not the first time that military equipment intended for Ukraine has been targeted by “pro-Palestinian activists.”

In June 2025, in Belgium, around 150 activists from the Stop Arming Israel movement, wearing masks and white coveralls, stormed the premises of the private defense company OIP in Tournai and damaged military equipment that was being prepared for shipment to Ukraine.

Who was detained?

One of the detainees has been identified as Youssef Motus, a Czech citizen originally from Egypt.

On his accounts on thematic forums, he frequently criticizes Israel and the Western world, accusing them of colonialism. He practices Islam and is also an LGBT activist.

The detained woman, whose name has not yet been disclosed, was actively involved in the pro-Palestinian movement in the Czech Republic, as well as in numerous LGBT and feminist actions.

In particular, in 2023, she participated in a pro-Palestinian demonstration near the memorial honoring the victims of the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia.