Authorities in the Czech Republic announced Tuesday they have taken a foreign national into custody who confessed to firebombing a Russian cultural facility in Prague with homemade incendiary devices.
The male suspect voluntarily surrendered to law enforcement on Monday and admitted to orchestrating the assault on the Russian House, revealing he had been plotting the attack since last summer. The targeted facility receives funding from the Russian government but operates without diplomatic protection.
Czech authorities have not disclosed the suspect’s country of origin or provided additional identifying information.
The attack occurred late Thursday evening in the Czech capital. Images from the scene revealed shattered glass and smoke damage to two windows and an exterior wall, though the structure did not ignite.
The Russian House provides cultural, educational and academic programming while also teaching Russian language classes to the public.
Facility director Igor Girenko informed Russian state media outlet Tass that attackers hurled six Molotov cocktails at the building Thursday night, with three devices failing to detonate.
Russian Foreign Ministry representative Maria Zakharova denounced the incident as “a barbaric act,” while Russia’s Prague embassy urged Czech officials to strengthen protection for Russian facilities and personnel throughout the country.
Czech Foreign Ministry officials have publicly criticized the attack.
