Turkish police arrest hundreds of suspected Dalton members; links to Starlink arson in Poland
Turkish authorities conducted operations in 30 provinces, detaining members of a network recruiting through social media. The case is linked to an attack on a Polish Starlink station.
Turkish authorities' operation against Dalton group
Turkish police and prosecutors from Istanbul conducted an operation on Tuesday in 30 provinces across the country — according to the portal infosecurity24.pl, citing Turkish Minute. Investigators detained suspects who, according to findings, were preparing for attacks. Members of the network recruited individuals through social media, subsequently adding them to WhatsApp groups where they issued instructions regarding the carrying out of attacks.
The detained individuals were taken for questioning. Prosecutors identified members of the group suspected of planning further operations.
Link to Starlink station arson in Poland
The Turkish Dalton group has emerged in the context of proceedings concerning the arson of a Starlink ground station in Wola Krobowska, in Grójec County in Mazovia, which occurred on 23 September. Two days after the fire, the Mazovian branch of the National Prosecutor's Office initiated an investigation in the direction of an act of sabotage and a crime of a terrorist nature.
In mid-October, German weekly Der Spiegel and public broadcaster ARD revealed links between the detained men and the Dalton group — information confirmed by infosecurity24.pl.
Arrests in Germany
On 12 October in Nürtingen near Stuttgart, two Turkish citizens were detained: 38-year-old Ümit E. and 34-year-old Müslüm T. on the basis of European arrest warrants issued at the request of Poland. The following day, a German court decided to hold the men in custody pending their transfer to Poland.
Both individuals are suspected of arson at the Starlink station. The Polish Internal Security Agency also detained an individual who had previously conducted reconnaissance of the facility and its security measures.
Source: Google News PL — Crime (pl)