German police arrest alleged instigator of Starlink station arson in Poland

Third arrest in Baden-Württemberg

German special police units detained a Turkish citizen on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, in the Reutlingen district near Stuttgart. The Stuttgart Public Prosecutor's Office and the state criminal investigation office (LKA) announced the arrest. Prosecutors say the man commissioned two other Turkish citizens to carry out the arson in Poland from Germany. Officers seized eight mobile phones and ammunition during the arrest. He is accused of preparing a terrorist offence, and a separate national investigation has been opened against him. A judge ordered pre-trial detention.

The fire in Wola Krobowska

The fire broke out on 23 September 2026 at a ground station in Wola Krobowska near Grójec, south of Warsaw. Investigators say it was deliberately set. According to prosecutors, the two alleged saboteurs were driven to Poland during the night of 22 to 23 September by a vehicle arranged by another suspect. Polish authorities say the station, which is owned by the state telecom Exatel, routes internet data through Poland and into Ukraine, and it is also used by SpaceX Starlink terminals. Starlink plays an important role in Ukrainian military communications.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk reacted on X after the first two suspects were arrested in October.

“This is another act of hybrid warfare. The perpetrators of this sabotage will answer before the Polish justice system.”

Russia link and an organised-crime lead

Warsaw has said there is a reasonable suspicion that Russian intelligence services may be behind the fire. Tomasz Siemoniak, coordinator of the special services, said at the time that there was no doubt about it.

“There is no doubt that Russian intelligence services stand behind this act of sabotage.”

Spiegel reports, based on its own information, that investigators are following a trail to the 'Daltons', a Turkish organised crime group also active in Germany. The magazine says independent sources from several countries confirmed this, and that members of the group could have carried out the sabotage on behalf of Russian intelligence. The prosecutors' statements did not address this lead.

Earlier arrests and attacks in other countries

In mid-October, at Poland's request, two Turkish citizens were arrested in Nürtingen. Both are in custody, and Poland has applied for their extradition. DW reports that the two men are 34 and 38 years old. Also in mid-October, attempts were made in Lithuania and Bulgaria to set fire to Starlink installations on a company site using flammable liquids and Molotov cocktails. Spiegel notes that those attacks are not part of the arrest warrant. Separately, a counter-terrorism unit in Berlin arrested another man suspected of helping the perpetrators.

What remains open

The third suspect was brought before a judge, who ordered him into pre-trial detention. Investigators have not released further details of the case. Poland's extradition request for the two men held in Nürtingen is still pending.