Prague arsonist with alleged Russian link gets jail term
A Prague court said Monday it had sentenced a Colombian to eight years in prison over a 2024 arson that Czech politicians said was probably financed by Russia.
The man spilt petrol over Prague city buses in a garage in June 2024 and set them on fire but local staff put it out fast.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said after the arson that Russia's involvement was "highly probable".
But Prague Municipal Court spokeswoman Barbora Bilkova said the Russian link was not brought up during the hearing.
She added that Andres Alfonso De La Hoz De La Cruz was sentenced on a plea bargain.
"He will serve his term in a high-security prison," Bilkova told AFP.
Czech media said the 27-year-old Colombian charged with a terror attack was also expelled from the Czech Republic and ordered to cover damage worth 115,000 Czech koruna ($5,300).
De La Cruz, who was detained shortly after the arson, had received instructions from a man on the Telegram messaging service, Czech media said, citing the judge.
He was due to get a $3,000 reward for the arson.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said after the arson that it was "probably organised and financed from Russia".
The Czech intelligence service said evidence of Kremlin-backed sabotage across Europe was "increasingly unequivocal" since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Russia's intelligence services have increasingly been blamed for sabotage across Europe, including in Poland and Lithuania.
The Czech Republic, an EU and NATO member of 10.9 million people, has provided substantial military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
Czech intelligence also blames the Russian military intelligence service GRU for orchestrating two blasts at a Czech ammunition depot in 2014.
Police shelved this case in 2024 saying Russia had refused to cooperate on the investigation into the explosions that had killed two local workers.
But the allegations led to the mutual expulsion of dozens of diplomats and other embassy staff in 2021.
Moscow then labelled the Czech Republic as "an unfriendly state" carrying out "unfriendly actions" against Russia.