Two suspects detained in Germany over Starlink arson attack in Poland

Two Turkish nationals have been detained in Germany over a suspected Russian-backed arson attack on a Starlink satellite internet station in Poland, authorities said.

German police in the south-western state of Baden-Württemberg said the two men had been detained in the town of Nürtingen, near Stuttgart, at Poland's request.

Baden-Württemberg's Interior Minister Manuel Hagel said on Tuesday that two European arrest warrants had been sent to Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) for enforcement.

The two men were taken into custody on Monday by special police units, while three apartments were searched, including two in Baden-Württemberg, Hagel said.

Hagel declined to comment on possible links to Russia or organized crime, saying the investigation was still at a very early stage and key information remained confidential.

"At the request of Polish intelligence services, German police detained two Turkish nationals suspected of setting fire to the Starlink station in Mazovia," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk had written on X late Monday.

Warsaw suspects Russian intelligence services were behind the attack on the Starlink ground station.

Germany's Bild newspaper also reported that police had detained a third suspect in Berlin's Spandau district, possibly the driver of the other two men.

Suspected arson targets key Ukrainian communications link

A fire broke out on September 23 at a Starlink satellite internet facility in Wola Krobowska, about 50 kilometres south of Warsaw.

The Polish government subsequently described the incident as a likely act of sabotage targeting a facility that also helps ensure secure internet communications in Ukraine, where Starlink satellites are used in the war against Russia.

The blaze affected the facility's power supply station and generator.

According to sources close to the investigation who spoke to the Schwäbische Zeitung, the two suspects, aged 34 and 38, were driven to the Starlink facility, where they allegedly poured an accelerant over an electrical control cabinet before fleeing after spending just a few minutes on the premises.

Starlink, operated by Elon Musk's aerospace company SpaceX, plays a crucial role in Ukraine's defence against Russia, providing internet access in areas where conventional communications infrastructure is unavailable or has been destroyed.

The satellite network allows Ukrainian forces to exchange information, coordinate deployments and support military operations.

Poland: 'No doubt' Russia behind attack

Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said the suspects would face charges of sabotage and acting on behalf of a foreign intelligence service once transferred to Poland.

Polish intelligence services coordinator Tomasz Siemoniak said there was "no doubt" Russian intelligence services were behind the attack, adding that Moscow was increasingly recruiting people with links to organized crime.

Polish national police chief Marek Boron said investigators had secured recordings, fingerprints and DNA evidence and reconstructed the preparations for the attack and the suspects' escape, including their entry into and departure from Poland.

One suspect lives in Germany, while the other is subject to a deportation order in Germany, Boron said.

German foreign minister: 'We are in Russia's crosshairs'

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called for closer European cooperation against suspected Russian sabotage following the arrests.

"We are in Russia's crosshairs," he told reporters at a security forum in Warsaw after meeting his Polish counterpart Radosław Sikorski on Tuesday.

"We are under attack, and this is happening not only in Ukraine but across Europe," he warned, adding that the arrests demonstrated the effectiveness of cooperation between European security and intelligence agencies.

"Russia will not succeed in dividing our societies," Wadephul said, arguing that such attacks would instead strengthen European unity.