Starlink blaze in Poland: two more detained, RMF says

Polish broadcaster RMF FM reported on Tuesday that German police had detained a woman and a man over a September fire at a Starlink internet station in central Poland.

RMF FM, citing unnamed sources, said the woman was arrested in Berlin. It did not say where the man was apprehended or give either suspect's nationality. The broadcaster reported that the woman may have acted as a driver for two Turkish suspects and “assisted with the logistics of the sabotage operation”. It said the role of a fourth suspect was also under investigation.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Monday that Germany had detained two Turkish men suspected of setting fire to the station, which he called an “act of hybrid warfare”. A German prosecutor's spokesman confirmed to AFP that two Turkish nationals were arrested near the train station in Nurtingen on Monday afternoon in response to a request from Poland.

Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said the two Turkish men faced charges of “sabotage and espionage on behalf of a foreign intelligence service”.

The station is owned by state-owned telecommunications company Exatel and used by Starlink, Elon Musk's satellite internet company. Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said it transmits internet traffic through Poland, including to Ukraine. The fire broke out in late September, and the station remained operational after the blaze.

Gawkowski told public broadcaster TVP Info the following day that the alleged sabotage was designed to disable the station and disrupt internet access for institutions including the Ukrainian army. Polish police and the national prosecutor's office did not immediately respond to AFP requests for comment.