BIS Won't Comment Statements by Slovak Politicians

Prague/Bratislava, 17 July (TASR-correspondent) – The Czech Security Information Service (BIS) won't comment on criticism from Slovak politicians regarding its public disclosure of a likely Russian link in the investigation into last year's bomb threats targeting schools, BIS spokesman Ladislav Sticha stated on CT24 on Thursday, adding that what matters is that the perpetrator was successfully arrested. TASR learnt the news from its special correspondent. „For BIS, as a member of the international team, the focus should remain on the essence. In a highly successful joint operation, we apprehended the perpetrator who had terrified thousands of families in the Czech Republic and Slovakia last year. We restored peace of mind to citizens so they no longer need to fear for their children. Nothing else is more important,” Sticha said. Slovak Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok on Thursday criticized BIS for releasing information that the detained Ukrainian suspect may have been financed by a Russian actor. He warned that such public airing of working hypotheses could endanger the investigation. „Uncontrolled leaks of speculative information to the media can complicate the investigation, jeopardize its success, and even allow the perpetrator to erase evidence,” he said. The Czech Police Presidium also declined to further comment on the case, with spokesman Jozef Bocan stating the matter had already been sufficiently addressed. „At this stage, it is crucial that the purpose of the criminal proceedings is fulfilled,” Bocan told Novinky.cz. Despite the communication misstep, Czech officials believe it will not affect future cooperation with Slovak authorities. Bocan noted that Czech Police Corps President Martin Vondrasek and Slovak Police Corps Acting President Jana Maskarova reaffirmed this commitment during a phone call on Wednesday. mf