Germany detains two Turkish citizens over arson at a Polish Starlink station near Warsaw
German police detained two Turkish citizens suspected of setting fire to a Starlink ground station in Wola Krobowska, Poland, on 23 September. Both await handover to Polish authorities under a European Arrest Warrant, and Polish officials blame Russian services.
Two arrests in Germany
German police detained two Turkish citizens on Monday, 12 October, on a request from Polish services, Polish authorities said. Interior minister Marcin Kierwiński announced the arrests, which the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) carried out on the basis of material prepared by Polish police, the Internal Security Agency (ABW) and prosecutors. According to national police chief Marek Boroń, one suspect has resident status in Germany, while the other did not obtain that status and was to be expelled from Germany. Both men are awaiting transfer to Poland under a European Arrest Warrant (ENA). Kierwiński said wanted notices and European arrest warrants for the two men had been issued in early October 2026. Searches of the suspects' homes in Germany are under way, according to wPolityce.pl.
The fire at Wola Krobowska
The fire broke out on the evening of 23 September at a ground station of the Starlink satellite internet system in Wola Krobowska, a village in Grójec County in Masovia. Most reports date the fire to that evening, although oko.press places it in the night of 23 to 24 September, and NIEZALEZNA.PL says the alert reached emergency services on 25 September after 21:00. The fire burned the casing of a power supply box, which firefighters put out quickly. Accounts of the damage differ: one report says the station was not significantly damaged, while NIEZALEZNA.PL says the base was fully shut down. According to Polish reports, the station provided wireless internet not only to Poland but also to Ukraine. Firefighters on site spoke of deliberate arson from the start. According to TVP Info, a Masovian unit of the National Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation two days after the fire into sabotage and an act of a terrorist nature carried out on behalf of foreign intelligence.
- Fire breaks out at the Starlink ground station in Wola Krobowska, Masovia, in the evening
- National Prosecutor's Office opens a sabotage investigation two days after the fire, per TVP Info
- Wanted notices and European arrest warrants issued for both suspects
- German police detain two Turkish citizens, announced by Polish interior minister Marcin Kierwiński
Charges and the Russian link
Polish officials say the suspects will be charged with sabotage and sabotage on behalf of foreign intelligence once they are transferred to Poland. Tomasz Siemoniak, minister-coordinator of special services, said the charges fall under Article 130 of the Criminal Code, which covers cooperation with foreign intelligence or acting on its behalf. He said German and then Polish courts would decide guilt and whether the maximum penalty applies. Prime minister Donald Tusk posted on X:
On the orders of Polish services, German police detained two Turkish citizens suspected of arson at a Starlink station in Masovia. This is another act of hybrid warfare. The perpetrators of the sabotage will answer before the Polish justice system.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Siemoniak said Russian services were behind the attack.
We have no doubt that Russian services stand behind this act of sabotage.
What comes next
The two men are expected to be handed over to Polish authorities under the European Arrest Warrant procedure, after which Polish prosecutors will bring the charges. Siemoniak said the services cannot yet provide more information, but there is a high probability that other people were involved, including at the executive level. He pointed to a 2024 sabotage case in which a coordinator who commissioned such actions is in Polish custody, and said the suspects in this case are the people directly involved in the attack.
