Slovakia police say suspected arson attack on drone factory thwarted

Slovak police thwarted a planned arson attack on an unmanned systems manufacturing facility in eastern Slovakia, officials announced on August 25. Intelligence from the Slovak Information Service and military sources led to the discovery. Three foreign nationals were taken into custody on suspicion of planning the sabotage. Two arrests took place in Slovakia, while the third was apprehended in Germany under a European arrest warrant.

During the operation, police recovered a substantial amount of an incendiary substance. Initial analysis revealed the mixture primarily consisted of gasoline and polystyrene, components commonly utilized in creating napalm. Police also discovered tools, smartphones, a specialized camera, and a hand-drawn blueprint of the facility.

Due to security concerns, the police have not disclosed the name of the targeted facility or its precise location.

According to The Telegraph, citing Western intelligence sources, on August 24, the Kremlin was allegedly recruiting members of criminal organizations to target European defense manufacturers and assess NATO's preparedness to counter Russian aggression. The newspaper also reported that Latvian authorities had detained three Latvian citizens on August 15, suspected of setting a fire at a Milrem Robotics facility in Estonia. The company is one of two international suppliers of ground robotic systems to Ukraine.