Prague court hands Colombian national eight-year sentence over bus arson case linked to Russia

Prague court hands Colombian national eight-year sentence over bus arson case linked to Russia

Event date: June 9, 2025. A Prague court has sentenced a Colombian national to eight years in prison after he admitted to setting fire to three public buses at a depot and preparing another attack, in a case Czech officials believe may be linked to Russia.

The ruling, handed down by Prague’s Municipal Court on June 9, also ordered the defendant, Andrés Alfonso de la Hoz de la Cruz, to pay damages worth 115,000 koruna, or about $5,300. Prosecutors and the defendant had reached a plea agreement, which the court approved.

The AP report describes the case as part of a wider pattern of suspected Russian-backed disruption across Europe, though the Czech authorities in this case did not publicly spell out a proven chain of command. Prime Minister Petr Fiala has previously said the failed arson attack was likely part of Russia’s hybrid war against the Czech Republic.

According to the AP account, the 26-year-old was arrested about a year earlier after setting ablaze three Prague public buses at a depot overnight. The court said he recorded the attack and then left the scene. Local workers were able to extinguish the fire before it spread further.

Prosecutors said the man received instructions through the Telegram messaging app and was promised $3,000. He was also planning one more attack, possibly at a movie theater in Prague.

The case comes against the backdrop of continuing concern in Europe about sabotage, arson and other incidents that officials say are aimed at weakening support for Ukraine and unsettling public life. The AP report notes that Western officials have accused Russia and its proxies of staging dozens of such incidents since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

For Prague, the sentence closes one chapter in a case that raised concerns about both public safety and the vulnerability of civilian infrastructure to small, low-cost attacks. The judgment also underscores how a plea deal can still produce a substantial prison term when prosecutors say a defendant’s actions crossed the line into terrorism and deliberate destruction.

The Czech case is notable not only for the prison term but for the mix of tactics alleged: use of encrypted messaging, promised payment, and planning for a follow-on target. In the AP report, the court’s decision was framed as a response to both the arson attack already carried out and the attack that was reportedly being prepared.