Trending 
Czech authorities are investigating a fire at an arms manufacturing facility as a possible terrorist attack, after an anti-Israel group claimed responsibility for the incident.
The blaze broke out before dawn on Friday at a warehouse in an industrial park in Pardubice, central Czech Republic, according to the fire brigade. No injuries were reported.
Interior Minister Lubomír Metnar said on X that investigators were treating the incident as a potential terror-related act.
“We are examining all available information. There is a likely link to a terror attack,” he said.
Police chief Martin Vondrášek confirmed that officers were investigating a deliberately set fire and actively searching for those responsible.
The arms company, LPP Holding, said the fire broke out in one of its buildings and that it is cooperating with investigators.
Czech media reported receiving an email from a group calling itself “The Earthquake Faction,” which claimed responsibility and said it targeted a production facility linked to Israeli weapons.
Authorities said they were verifying the authenticity of the claim.
LPP Holding develops drones and other military equipment, though the company denied producing Israeli drones, saying a previously planned project with Israel’s Elbit Systems had been cancelled.
The fire destroyed a metal warehouse and spread to an administrative building before being extinguished by firefighters.
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš urged tighter security at defence facilities, saying the site was not adequately protected.
“They climbed a fence as there was a ladder,” he said, adding that arms firms may face licensing consequences if security standards are not improved.
Authorities also noted the group behind the claim appeared to have registered its online domain only a day before the attack, raising questions about its credibility.
The Czech Republic, a member of both the European Union and NATO, remains a strong ally of Israel amid wider regional tensions linked to the ongoing Middle East conflict.
