Five under investigation in connection with weapons theft

Police are investigating five people for the theft of weapons and explosives from around the now defunct munitions storage site in Vrbětice in the Zlín area. Two of the suspects have been charged with the criminal possession of a weapon which carries a sentence of up to eight years behind bars. The suspects are believed to have tried to sell some weapons to others. The police have said the motive was primarily financial.

The Vrbětice munitions depot was partly destroyed by deadly explosions in the autumn of 2014 which claimed the lives of two employees. The area remained highly unstable and dangerous, requiring a perimeter watched by the police and the Czech military. Later, truckloads of surviving weapons and other material were eventually removed.

Author: Jan Velinger