Bulgaria Seeks Arrest of Two German 19-Year-Olds Over Starlink Antenna Fire

European arrest warrants have been requested for two German citizens over the arson of Starlink antennas in Bulgaria last week, a Sofia court spokesperson told the dpa agency, European Pravda reported on Monday, Oct. 19.

The spokesperson said Bulgaria's prosecutors asked for arrest warrants for two 19-year-olds, identified under German privacy law only as S. I. and T. B. They are accused of setting fire to eight Starlink antennas at a site in Plana, south of Sofia, on Oct. 9. According to the report, they entered Bulgaria from Serbia via the Kalotina crossing in a car with German plates and left a few hours later.

Charges and possible sabotage network

On Oct. 14 Bulgarian prosecutors charged both suspects in absentia. They face three to 12 years in prison, and two defence lawyers intend to challenge the decision. Bulgarian media unofficially reported that the two suspects had been arrested in Bulgaria. The suspects may belong to a larger sabotage group linked to those arrested in Germany over the attack on a Starlink ground station in Poland.

Plamen Tonchev, head of Bulgaria's State Agency for National Security, believes the fire near Sofia was sabotage. "Similar acts of sabotage in the future cannot be ruled out," he warned in parliament.

Earlier incidents

Last week Bulgaria reported a possible arson attack on 11 of 17 Starlink antennas near Sofia; Prime Minister Rumen Radev declined to give details, citing the ongoing investigation. On Sept. 23 a fire broke out at a Starlink ground station in the Polish village of Wola Krobowska. On Oct. 18 Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius reported a failed arson attempt at a Lithuanian company that stores Starlink equipment, which we covered in Lithuania calls Starlink station arson attempt sabotage.