Lithuania raises security at 15 sites after Starlink arson attempt
Lithuania is raising security at more than 15 key infrastructure sites after someone tried to set fire to Starlink equipment in Vilnius. Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius says Molotov cocktails were used and the attack is being treated as sabotage. A guard put out the fire.
Lithuania is stepping up security at more than 15 critical infrastructure sites after an attempt to set fire to Starlink satellite internet equipment in Vilnius, LRT and Delfi reported.
"This equipment was targeted during the night. Incendiary liquids and Molotov cocktails were used in an attempt to start a fire on the premises," Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius said Monday after a meeting of the National Security Commission, Delfi reported.
The attack happened around 2 a.m. Sunday at a site in Vilnius's Aukštieji Paneriai neighborhood, where SpaceX rents space from a Lithuanian company, Delfi reported. A security guard spotted the fire, and it was put out before firefighters arrived. "The antennas did not catch fire; the control unit was slightly scorched," Sinkevičius said. Starlink service was not disrupted, LRT reported.
Sinkevičius said the government is treating the attack as sabotage and that police are looking for those responsible, LRT reported. A criminal investigation has been opened into property damage that endangered public safety, Delfi reported. The crime carries up to five years in prison.
The equipment is part of a wider network serving residents, businesses and the military, said Vilmantas Vitkauskas, director of the National Crisis Management Centre. He said the attack would probably have caused some disruption if it had worked, but there are other such stations, Delfi reported.
The higher alert level took effect Monday, LRT reported. It means more personnel and more attention for the sites, Sinkevičius said. Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas said the armed forces are already assigning troops to protect critical sites.
The government is also looking at security for private companies in the defense industry, Delfi reported. "We can see the defence industry developing in Lithuania, manufacturing drones, components and other parts," Sinkevičius said. The Public Security Service will advise companies on fences, barriers and cameras, but he said companies must also invest in their own protection.
The arson attempt came the same day a drone that officials said was Ukrainian crashed and exploded in Lithuania's Pasvalys district, LRT reported. Officials said it entered from Poland, and Ukraine apologized.
What we know: Someone tried to burn Starlink equipment in Vilnius, and security is rising at more than 15 sites.
What we don't: Who carried out the attack and why.
Where outlets agree LRT and Delfi both report that Molotov cocktails were used against Starlink equipment in Vilnius and that security is being raised at more than 15 sites.
Where they differ The cited reports agree on the key facts so far.