The circumstances and consequences of the Pardubice fire: the Czech media halo effect and state repressions

LPP’s ties with Elbit

Elbit Systems Ltd. is an Israeli weapons systems and surveillance technology manufacturer, complicit in human rights and international law violations. LPP Holding has proven ties with Elbit. However, most media sources reporting on the incident do not mention the explicit connection between these two companies. See our article on LPP holding: the Czech connection to Elbit Systems.

Following the fire, LPP attempted to conceal the scope of their collaboration with Elbit, claiming it was connected to a contract with the army of the Czech Republic that ended up falling through. They also claimed that “no Israeli weapons were ever manufactured at their facility.” ¹ This is not in accordance with what the co-owner of LPP said about the collaboration in an interview in 2023 when the LPP-Elbit agreement was signed. ²

In 2023, it was announced that LPP and Elbit would start developing and producing drones, as well as training personnel in the Czech Republic. ³ Later, in February 2024, it was confirmed that a new center was to be built in Pardubice. ⁴

Claims of supporting Ukraine

The public narrative is also dominated with the statement that LPP is supplying drones to Ukraine. With a closer look it becomes apparent that the holding is selling the drones to entities that only later supply them to Ukraine. Most media fail to recognise that LPP profits significantly from these transactions. Moreover, mainstream media systematically neglect explorations of how weapons manufacturers profit from selling arms to both sides in military conflicts. ⁵

LPP’s economic connection to Elbit makes them a transnational supplier of global weaponry. While LPP imitates a political and economic solidarity with Ukraine, ⁶ Elbit is profiting from providing Russia with latest military technology. A few sources show ⁷ that Elbit (cooperating with an Irish-American company Analog) produced microchips found in weapons that are killing civilians in Ukraine.

Faulty security

The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Andrej Babiš, called on Czech arms companies to secure their facilities better to which LPP responded that they were well protected. ⁸ This claim was later disproven by a journalist who photographed the facility’s missing fence. ⁹ Later, LPP’s spokesperson, Martina Tauberová, said that no company can prepare itself for such a scenario. ⁹

Behind the fire

Responsibility for the fire was claimed by the group “The Earthquake Faction” in a statement, which they published on their website alongside a video of the fire. They have since threatened to release internal documents that they managed to take from the facility. The Earthquake Faction have issued an ultimatum to LPP to cut all ties with Elbit by April 20th, 2026 or face the publication of their classified documents. ¹⁰

Legal framing

Calling the incident an act of arson or even an act of terrorism is an evaluative judgement used to manipulate public opinion. The legal classification is to be established by the lawyers, not journalists, based on the available facts and evidence.

The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic wrote on X that the incident is being investigated as a terrorist attack. ¹¹ Some journalists say ¹² that the fire in Pardubice was intentionally targeting a private weapons manufacturer, hence should be classified as “damage to another person’s property” according to Czech law. ¹³ Terrorism charges carry a potential sentence of 12-20 years in prison and the possibility of an “exceptional sentence”, ¹⁴ but in case of classification as “damage of private property” the possible sentence would be up to 6 years.

Police and firefighters confirmed that nobody was harmed in the fire. ¹

State repression

A day after LPP’s site burned, activists from the pro-Palestinian community in Prague and beyond were mass targeted and accused of cooperation with an alleged “terrorist group” (classified as such by for example Hungary). ¹⁵

Two members of the Prague pro-Palestinian community, Youssef Moursi and Anežka Brahová, have been charged with “terrorism” and remanded to prison. The evidence presented by the state prosecutor against them is circumstantial at best, highlighting the inherent political nature of their legal cases.

Both are now facing either 12-20 years in prison, or “exceptional punishment” which implies lifelong imprisonment. ¹⁶ We spoke to their legal representatives who revealed that both defendants were being kept in solitary confinement with lights on at all times, including at night. Their cases are being handled by NCTEKK, Czech anti-terrorism police unit. Their unjust treatment from the side of the state, as well as their public dehumanization by mainstream media, amounts to character assassination for political reasons.

We firmly believe in the importance of unity in times of intense political repression from the side of the state. The shaky legal case is quickly becoming a tool for further suppression of dissent with dangerous implications for the broader public. We are deeply concerned about the state creating a precedent when the interests of private weapons manufacturers outweigh the interests of the people. Until the facts of the case are known, we call on the media to uphold their journalistic integrity over clicks and reach.