A Turkish criminal group known as the Daltons is suspected of involvement in the Sept. 23 arson attack on a Starlink satellite communications ground station in Poland, according to a report by Der Spiegel citing several independent sources in multiple countries. Members of the Turkish group may have carried out the sabotage at the direction of Russian intelligence services.
According to Der Spiegel, on Oct. 12 two Turkish citizens — 38-year-old Ümit E. and 34-year-old Müslüm T. — were detained in the German state of Baden-Württemberg at Poland’s request. Polish authorities suspect the men of involvement in the Sept. 23 Starlink facility fire. Security sources in several countries said the two were either members of the Daltons or had been hired by members of the gang.
The Daltons are considered to be a dangerous and influential organized crime group operating not only in Turkey, but also in Germany and other European countries. The group has been involved in extortion, racketeering, arms trafficking, and contract killings.
Its alleged leader, Beratcan Gökdemir, was detained in Russia in 2024. Turkey sought his extradition, but German intelligence services say Russian authorities released him and placed him under their protection. It is unclear whether he remains in Russia.
Der Spiegel noted that the German government and security officials had warned several months earlier that Moscow could turn to organized crime groups to carry out sabotage operations in Europe. Polish authorities consider the fire at the Starlink station in the Masovian Voivodeship to be an act of sabotage. As deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said:
“The fire engulfed the power station and the generator; it is clear that this act of sabotage was deliberately designed to disable the station — effectively cutting off the internet connection...and disrupting internet access for various institutions, including the Ukrainian military.”
Gawkowski said the attackers failed to knock the station out of service.
On Oct. 12, Bulgarian authorities reported that a group of unidentified people had set fire to Starlink satellite communications antennas about 20 kilometers outside the country’s capital, Sofia.
