Detectives seized explosives, firearms and ammunition in several locations in Pest county on Wednesday, ahead of an attack on a Socialist MP planned for that night, the National Bureau of Investigations announced yesterday. Several people were detained.
One of the men detained wanted to blow up a house in Adony, Fejér county, belonging to Socialist MP László Ecsődi, Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Géza Fazekas confirmed.
The same suspect fired two shots at the home of Education Minister István Hiller with an unlicensed gun 18 months ago, Fazekas said. Hiller and his family were not at home at the time.
Some of those arrested are believed to be members of the clandestine Hungarian Arrows National Liberation Army, hvg.hu reports.
The group has claimed responsibility for throwing Molotov cocktails at the homes of several Socialist MPs in one day in February of last year before the final vote on introducing the Ft 300 health fee. Prior to that, the group said its members had assaulted HírTV presenter and former Socialist politician Sándor Csintalan in December, 2007.
More recently, the Hungarian Arrows claimed responsibility for bombing Secret Services Minister György Szilvásy’s holiday home last September, and for an explosion that destroyed a bus and damaged several others on March 5. The latter explosion – an attempt to punish a business whose buses had brought Roma to a demonstration – found the wrong target, as the victim was the owner of a different coach company.
A local resident said explosives had been seized in Százhalombatta Wednesday night, where several bomb-disposal experts and police were seen around a ten-storey housing development. Police also found a workshop where the explosives had been manufactured. Other suspects were detained in Zugló, Budapest’s 14th District. Three explosive devices, firearms and 70 rounds of ammunition were seized.
Police have boosted protection around the homes of several MPs for weeks. National Police chief József Bencze ordered a greater police presence at certain houses and their neighbourhoods ahead of the March 15 holiday, as they feared Molotov cocktail attacks.
