Bulgaria’s Sofia City Court has authorized European Arrest Warrants for two German nationals suspected of setting fire to Starlink antennas at the Teleport Plana facility near Sofia, BNT reported, as the suspects have left the country and their current whereabouts remain unknown.
The two men, Tirpan Beytulla and Zeka Islam, were born in Germany in 2007. The court considered the Prosecutor’s Office request for the warrants during proceedings today.
The alleged arson occurred on October 9 at approximately 10:25 p.m. According to information from the Prosecutor’s Office, the suspects entered Bulgaria through the Kalotina border checkpoint as tourists at 5:37 a.m. and left through the same crossing at 11:55 p.m. that day, spending only several hours in the country.
Eighteen antennas were set on fire during the incident. Three were completely destroyed, two were partially affected and three others were damaged. The fire also threatened to spread to the facility’s administrative building.
The head of the State Agency for National Security has warned of potential acts of sabotage in Bulgaria. An investigation into the incident is ongoing, and the offense carries a prison sentence of three to 12 years.
The vehicle used in the incident had German license plates but was not registered to either suspect. The Prosecutor’s Office said the case file contains security camera footage showing the vehicle leaving the scene. The Volkswagen is registered to a third German citizen.
A man guarding the antenna site reported seeing two silhouettes during the incident. Although the perpetrators wore masks and gloves, investigators identified the vehicle.
The suspects were represented by court-appointed defense attorneys, who argued that accounts referring only to “two silhouettes” were insufficient grounds for issuing European Arrest Warrants.
Until recently, a European Arrest Warrant could be issued solely on the basis of a prosecutor’s order for 72-hour detention, according to an editorial note in the report.
The Sofia City Court’s decision may be appealed to the appellate court.