Polish authorities arrested a man in his 60s suspected of plotting an attack against Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. Officials cite a high probability the threats could have been acted upon.
Polish police have arrested a man suspected of plotting an assassination attempt against Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. The detention follows an emergency meeting between the police, the State Protection Service (SOP), and the Internal Security Agency (ABW) to address credible threats against the two officials.
The suspect, described as a man in his 60s, was arrested in the southwestern region of Lower Silesia. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński told public broadcaster TVP Info that the services identified the suspect through "a thorough analysis of content posted online." He added that the man's "contacts and his activity on the internet are being examined."
According to the interior ministry, searches were continuing at the suspect’s home. Ministry spokeswoman Karolina Galecka stated, "Information about this man will of course then be verified by the police." Prime Minister Tusk confirmed the arrest on social media, writing, "The man threatening an attack has been detained," and praising the police for their "swift and decisive action."
Jacek Dobrzyński, the spokesperson for the minister-coordinator of special services, told reporters that authorities are "treating this matter very seriously." He noted that while threats against officials have become increasingly common, "in this case, we are talking about a strong probability that these threats could have been acted upon."
Government spokesman Adam Szłapka acknowledged that authorities constantly receive a "cascade of indications" regarding potential threats, but stated that "this signal was more disturbing than previous" ones. Szłapka indicated that one element of the warning had come via email, though he clarified that "it was not just an email" that raised concern.
The arrest occurs amid heightened security tensions in Poland. Interior Minister Kierwiński told TVP Info that "at this stage it is probably too early to claim ... that any foreign angle is possible" in the alleged assassination attempt. He suggested the suspect appeared to be "a man from very radical groups, establishing very radical contacts via the internet with various people."
Poland has recently faced a wave of violent incidents, including three knife attacks on schools that left one person dead and many injured. In response, police have inspected nearly 64,000 institutions and detained 117 people, most of them teenagers found to have made threats or been in possession of weapons. Additionally, in September, Polish intelligence services arrested a 17-year-old Nazi sympathiser suspected of plotting an attack against a school and a mosque.
The alleged plot highlights the growing security challenges facing Polish leadership, who are on the frontline of geopolitical tensions with Russia. While officials have not confirmed a foreign link, the incident underscores the risks posed by domestic radicalization and online threats. The swift arrest demonstrates the effectiveness of Poland’s security services in monitoring digital communications, but the "high probability" of the threat being acted upon signals a persistent danger to public figures in the region.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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