Czech court sentences Colombian to eight years in prison for Russia-linked arson attack

By&nbspEuronews

Published on 09/06/2025 - 15:54 GMT+2

A tribunal successful nan Czech Republic connected Monday sentenced a Colombian nationalist to 8 years successful situation for plotting an arson onslaught connected nationalist carrier successful Prague, which officials judge was successful portion orchestrated by Russia.

Andrés Alfonso de la Hoz de la Cruz, who pleaded guilty, was besides ordered to salary damages worthy 115,000 Czech koruna (€4,639).

The 26-year-old was arrested a twelvemonth agone aft mounting 3 nationalist buses ablaze astatine a nationalist carrier depot successful Prague’s Klicov district. He recorded nan incident and fled nan segment arsenic section workers brought nan occurrence nether control.

At nan time, a spokeswoman for Prague's nationalist carrier authority said nan fires caused astatine slightest 200,000 koruna (€8,067) successful damages.

Cruz had received orders connected Telegram and was promised a sum successful bid to transportation retired nan deliberate blaze, nan tribunal revealed.

In nan aftermath of nan attack, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said it was apt organised and financed by Moscow.

Such incidents were portion of Russia's repeated efforts to “to undermine nan spot of citizens successful our state,” said Fiala.

The Kremlin had denied immoderate engagement successful nan incident.

Fiala and different Western officials person accused Russia of staging dozens of attacks crossed Europe since its full-scale penetration of Ukraine began successful February 2022.

These allegations build connected earlier incidents, including a 2014 detonation astatine a Czech ammunition depot that Prague attributed to Russia's GRU subject intelligence service.