Two suspects in Starlink arson near Sofia arrested in Germany's Duisburg
Police in Duisburg have detained two 19-year-old German nationals suspected of setting fire to eight Starlink antennas near Plana, south of Sofia, on Oct. 9. Bulgaria seeks their extradition.
Symbolic image · Photo: Gitanes232 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Two men wanted over an arson attack on Starlink antennas near Sofia have been arrested in Germany. Police in Duisburg detained the two 19-year-old German citizens on Friday, Bulgarian news agency BTA and Mediapool reported, citing Bild. They were brought before a local court, where prosecutors were expected to seek detention pending extradition to Bulgaria.
Investigators say the Oct. 9 fire at the Plana teleport completely destroyed three of its 18 antennas and seriously damaged five more. The suspects allegedly entered Bulgaria as tourists that day through the Kalotina border crossing in a car with German plates and left the same evening. They were charged in absentia on Oct. 14, and a European arrest warrant followed.
If convicted of intentional arson, they face three to 12 years in prison. Their court-appointed lawyers argue that the masked perpetrators cannot be identified on video. No motive has been established, and no link to a Sept. 23 fire at a Starlink ground station near Warsaw has been proven.