Sofia court issues European Arrest Warrants for two German citizens, suspects in Starlink arson case
The Sofia City Court issued on October 19 European Arrest Warrants for 19-year-old German citizens Zeka Islam and Tirlan Beitullah, who allegedly carried out arson of several Starlink system antennas at a facility in Plana near Sofia on October 9.
Reports on October 19 said that the two suspects, said to have been arrested last week, had left Bulgaria.
A report by Bulgarian National Television, quoting the Prosecutors Office, said that the two had crossed via the Kalotina border checkpoint into Bulgaria posing as tourists and stayed in the country for several hours.
In the arson attack on the 18 antennas, 11 were destroyed.
If the men are found guilty, they may be sentenced to prison from three to 12 years.
The car they used is registered in Germany and is not owned by either of them. So far, German authorities have no information about the whereabouts of the two.
The arson became public only after Ivailo Mirchev, an MP for opposition Democratic Bulgaria, posted about it on Facebook, demanding to know why the authorities were silent.
The Gateway antennas that were set on fire are part of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite communications system. They have been of strategic importance to the Ukrainian military since the beginning of the Russian war in Ukraine.
The arson attack on the Plana mountain antennas came days after a similar attack on a Starlink satellite ground station in Poland . Four citizens were arrested in Germany on suspicion of committing the arson in Poland.
In Parliament last week, Prime Minister Roumen Radev ordered the head of the State Agency for National Security not to speak about the Plana case, saying that this could prejudice the investigation. Radev promised details soon, but none have been forthcoming.
Following reports that the suspects had left Bulgaria, Mirchev said: “Is this the control with which Radev reassured Parliament? On what information did he base his confidence?”
Mirchev said that on October 14, Radev had given an assurance that the case was being worked on, and only five days later did the Prosecutor’s Office request the issuance of a European Arrest Warrant.
“Answers are due: When did the accused leave the country and when did the services find out? What did Radev know when he promised imminent success?”
“He insisted that the MPs not receive details during the hearing. Now he personally owes an answer to the public about what was achieved, what was missed and who is responsible,” Mirchev said.
