Bulgaria issues arrest warrants for suspects in Starlink arson
The Sofia City Court on October 19 authorized the issuance of European arrest warrants for two German citizens suspected of setting fire to antennas of the Starlink satellite system in Bulgaria. The young men face up to 12 years in prison.
This was reported by the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) with reference to the materials of the court hearing.
The case concerns two 19-year-old German citizens — Zeke Islam and Tirpan Beytulla. The Bulgarian prosecutor's office charged them in absentia on October 14, and has now obtained court permission for their search and detention within the European Union.
According to the investigation, on October 9, the suspects entered Bulgaria from Serbia through the Kalotina border checkpoint in a car with German license plates. At the border crossing, they stated that they had come for tourism purposes.
The men spent several hours in the country. Investigators believe that during this time they committed arson of Starlink equipment at a facility near the village of Plana, not far from Sofia, and then returned to Serbia.
Eight Starlink antennas were damaged in the arson
According to the results of a technical examination, three antennas were completely destroyed by fire, two partially burned, and three more were damaged.
The case file includes surveillance camera recordings, photographs, witness testimony, and information about the movement of the suspects' car.
The prosecution claims that during the attack, the men used masks and gloves.
The defendants' lawyers dispute the sufficiency of the presented evidence. According to them, the video recordings and photographs do not allow to unambiguously identify the persons who committed the arson.
Despite the defense's arguments, the court granted the prosecutor's request. The decision can be appealed. The final assessment of the legality of issuing the warrants must be given by the Sofia Court of Appeals.
The whereabouts of the suspects are currently unknown. If detained and subsequently found guilty, they face between three and twelve years in prison.
The investigation affects the security of satellite communications
The arson occurred amid increased attention by European intelligence services to the protection of telecommunications infrastructure.
On October 14, the chairman of the Bulgarian State Agency for National Security, Plamen Tonchev, stated that the intelligence services do not rule out new acts of sabotage against critical facilities of the country.
The Starlink system of the American company SpaceX is used in Ukraine, including for providing communications for military units. However, it is not officially confirmed that the damaged antennas in Bulgaria directly served Ukrainian users or that the arson affected the operation of satellite internet in Ukraine.
Similar attacks on Starlink infrastructure were previously investigated in Poland. At the same time, Bulgarian law enforcement officers have not yet presented evidence of the involvement of Russian intelligence services in the specific attack near Sofia.
The investigation is ongoing. The motives of the suspects and the possible involvement of the attack organizers have not been officially established yet.
Based on materials from: Bulgarian National Radio, Bulgarian National Television, The Sofia Globe.
