Bulgarian authorities seek arrests Germans in arson of Starlink antennas

SOFIA, Bulgaria — Bulgarian authorities issued an international arrest warrant for two German citizens suspected of setting fire to Starlink antennas outside the capital.

The court in Sofia approved the European arrest warrant after prosecutors said the suspects carried out the planned attack within just a few hours while they were in Bulgaria on Oct. 9. They were identified as Tirpan Beytula and Zeka Islam and charged in absentia.

Their indictment says three antennas were completely destroyed, two were partially damaged and three others were otherwise affected by the flames.

The two allegedly entered Bulgaria in a car with German registration plates through the Kalotina border crossing, and left through the same crossing hours later.

The court ruling can be appealed, but if convicted, the two men face between three and 12 years in prison.

Similar arson attacks involving torched antennas and the detention of suspects have happened recently in Poland and Lithuania, whose authorities have linked the sabotage to Russia. Ukraine has been using Starlink antennas for military communications.