Two armoured vehicles belonging to the Belgian military were destroyed on 28 August in the parking lot of Belgian defence manufacturer OIP Sensor Systems in Oudenaarde, Flanders after being targeted with Molotov cocktails, Belgian broadcaster RTBF reports.
The two vehicles were parked overnight in the carpark of the company awaiting to be retrofitted with new equipment. Experts have deduced that the fires had been deliberately started, most likely with Molotov cocktails.
“It is very clearly a criminal act,” Colonel Jean-Paul Buagnée, manager of land equipment for the Belgian army told the press. “Each combat vehicle of this type costs €1.5 million,” added Captain Laurens Rottiers.
According to the East Flanders prosecutor's office, the firebombing only caused material damage and did not result in any injuries.
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Belgian newspaper Het Laatse Nieuws has said that the attack may have been carried out by a group of pro-Palestinian activists from Palestine Action due to the fact that OIP is a subsidiary of an Israeli multinational which equips armoured vehicles with night-vision systems.
Unconfirmed reports state that the attackers had left a message at the scene of the crime, calling for the closure of Israeli defence company Elbit Systems.
