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German police detained a woman in Berlin in connection with the September fire at a Starlink ground station in central Poland, Polish broadcaster RMF FM reported Tuesday, as authorities investigate the incident as suspected sabotage linked to a foreign intelligence service.
RMF FM reported that the woman may have helped with logistics and possibly acted as a driver for two Turkish citizens previously detained in Germany over the fire.
Polish prosecutors are expected to assess the extent of her alleged involvement before deciding whether there are grounds to seek her extradition to Poland.
The broadcaster did not disclose the woman’s nationality or other identifying details.
RMF FM also reported that a fourth person had been detained in connection with the case, without providing further details.
A spokesperson for Germany’s Federal Criminal Police said the agency had coordinated the exchange of information between Polish and German authorities in connection with the arrest of three individuals.
Germany’s Interior Ministry and Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office had no immediate comment.
Polish authorities said Monday that two Turkish citizens had been detained in Germany on suspicion of setting fire to the Starlink facility near Grodzisk Mazowiecki.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said German police acted at the request of Polish services.
“On behalf of Polish services, German police detained two Turkish citizens suspected of setting fire to a Starlink station in Masovia,” Tusk wrote on X.
“This is another act of hybrid warfare,” he added, saying those responsible would answer before the Polish justice system.
Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said the two men would face charges in Poland of carrying out sabotage on the instructions of a foreign intelligence agency. They are awaiting extradition to Poland.
Polish Special Services Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said Warsaw believed Russian services were behind the fire.
“We have no doubt that Russian services are behind this act of sabotage,” Siemoniak said, adding that Russian intelligence services were increasingly using people linked to the criminal underworld.
Moscow has rejected broader accusations by European countries that it is conducting sabotage, cyberattacks and other hybrid operations across Europe, calling such claims baseless and the result of anti-Russian hysteria.
The fire broke out on the evening of Sept. 23 at a Starlink ground station in Wola Krobowska in Poland’s Masovia region.
The blaze engulfed the station’s power system and backup generator, although the facility remained operational.
Two days later, prosecutors from the Masovian branch of Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation into suspected sabotage and a terrorism-related offense allegedly carried out on behalf of a foreign intelligence service.
Poland has said it believes the fire was intended to disrupt internet services, including communications used by Ukraine’s military.
The station is operated by state-owned telecommunications company Exatel and forms part of the infrastructure used to transmit internet traffic through Poland to Ukraine. It is also used by SpaceX systems providing connectivity through Starlink terminals.
Elon Musk activated Starlink services over Ukraine in 2022 after Kyiv appealed for assistance in the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Poland has previously said it pays for Ukraine’s Starlink subscription.
Ukraine’s military relies on tens of thousands of Starlink terminals for battlefield communications and some drone operations, despite later disagreements between Musk and Ukrainian officials over his views on the war.
Musk also agreed this year to disable thousands of Russian “grey-market” Starlink terminals operating in Ukraine, causing problems for Russian forces.
Ukraine is also seeking to use Starlink terminals in operations targeting Russian territory.
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