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

A court in Prague has sentenced a Colombian citizen to eight years in prison on Monday for conducting an arson attack and planning another one, in a case which authorities believe may be linked to the Kremlin.

A court in the Czech Republic on Monday sentenced a Colombian national to eight years in prison for plotting an arson attack on public transport in Prague, which officials believe was in part orchestrated by Russia. Andrés Alfonso de la Hoz de la Cruz, who pleaded guilty, was also ordered to pay damages worth 115,000 Czech koruna (€4,639). The 26-year-old was arrested a year ago after setting three public buses ablaze at a public transport depot in Prague’s Klicov district. He recorded the incident and fled the scene as local workers brought the fire under control. At the time, a spokeswoman for Prague's public transport authority said the fires caused at least 200,000 koruna (€8,067) in damages. Cruz had received orders on Telegram and was promised a sum in order to carry out the deliberate blaze, the court revealed. In the aftermath of the attack, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said it was likely organised and financed by Moscow. Such incidents were part of Russia's repeated efforts to “to undermine the trust of citizens in our state,” said Fiala.The Kremlin had denied any involvement in the incident. Fiala and other Western officials have accused Russia of staging dozens of attacks across Europe since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.These allegations build on earlier incidents, including a 2014 explosion at a Czech ammunition depot that Prague attributed to Russia's GRU military intelligence service.