Belarusian arrested in France for espionage and attempted arson at a factory producing combat drones
The Delair factory, which has supplied drones to Ukraine since the beginning of the war, was attacked with Molotov cocktails in early June. Three days later, a Belarusian citizen was arrested while filming a drone prototype, writes Le Parisien.
French counterintelligence prevented a possible sabotage at one of the country's key military-industrial complex enterprises. In early June, the Delair company's factory in a suburb of Toulouse, which actively supplies combat drones to Ukraine, was targeted twice.
First, unknown individuals threw Molotov cocktails at the building. A serious fire did not occur only because the incendiary mixture did not ignite.
Just three days after this incident, on June 3, law enforcement officers detained a Belarusian citizen near the factory grounds.
The man was apprehended directly while filming a prototype of a new drone, using advanced espionage equipment.
As the investigation revealed, the detainee had previously been seen near the secret facility, and he had already managed to send the filmed materials to his handler in Russia.
The Paris prosecutor's office has officially charged the Belarusian with collecting and transmitting information to a foreign state capable of harming France's fundamental interests. The suspect has been remanded in custody, and French special services are investigating this case as a manifestation of Russian hybrid interference.
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