The two arrived in Lithuania in September, plotting to set fire to the facilities of a private company in the northern city of Šiauliai, the eastern European country’s general prosecutor’s office said.
They failed to carry out their plan and fled the country but were detained in neighboring Latvia by the security services.
They were subsequently extradited to Lithuania, which had issued a European arrest warrant for them.
The would-be arsonists are being held in pre-trial detention, said the prosecutor’s office, which is preparing a case against them in collaboration with Lithuanian police and security services and security agencies of allied countries.
Covert Russian operations
The planned arson attack was one of several covert operations linked to Russia, Kęstutis Budrys, chief adviser to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, told the LRT public broadcaster.
Some of these attempts have been successful, such as sending out
exploding packages
from Lithuania across Europe, and an arson attack on an IKEA shopping center in Vilnius.
Budrys said there are other similar incidents that security services are investigating but which have not been announced to the public.
