Police in south-eastern Poland have arrested a 56-year-old man after he allegedly published a video on social media containing threats against Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
The man, a resident of Przemyśl county in the Podkarpackie region, was detained on Saturday, one day after the recording appeared online.
Podkarpackie police said officers had quickly identified the person behind the video and taken him into custody. Further investigative steps are now under way.
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Police have not publicly disclosed the exact wording of the alleged threats.
Suspect expected to hear charges
Przemyśl police spokeswoman Karolina Kowalik told the Polish Press Agency that investigators had secured both the video and electronic equipment belonging to the detained man.
The material is now being analysed and is expected to form the basis for prosecutors to determine the precise allegations against him.
The man is expected to hear charges on Monday, according to police information reported by Polish Radio.
At this stage, he has not been convicted of any offence and remains entitled to the presumption of innocence.
Police have not said whether the alleged threats were judged to be credible, whether the suspect had any means of carrying them out, or whether he had previously been known to authorities.
Police: ‘No one is anonymous online’
In announcing the arrest, Podkarpackie police used the case to warn that threatening material posted online can carry criminal consequences.
“In the internet, no one is beyond responsibility,” officers said, adding that police respond to such cases and work to identify the authors of threatening content so that they can be held accountable under Polish law.
The statement reflects growing attention from Polish law-enforcement agencies to threats made against public officials through social-media platforms.
Threats made online can be investigated under the same criminal provisions as those made in person if prosecutors conclude that the content meets the statutory threshold for a criminal threat.
The exact legal classification in this case has not yet been announced.
Second recent case involving threats against Tusk
The Przemyśl arrest follows another recent case involving alleged online threats against the prime minister.
Earlier in September, police detained a 52-year-old man from Oława in Lower Silesia after he allegedly posted threats on Facebook concerning Tusk.
In that case, prosecutors subsequently charged the man with making criminal threats.
The two incidents are separate, and police have given no indication of any connection between them.
The latest case nevertheless comes amid broader concern in Poland and elsewhere in Europe about violent or threatening political rhetoric spreading through social media.
Authorities across the continent have increasingly had to assess whether hostile online material represents protected expression, criminal intimidation or a credible security threat.
Investigation continues in Przemyśl
For now, the Przemyśl case remains at an early stage.
Police have confirmed the arrest, the seizure and analysis of electronic material and the expectation that prosecutors will decide on charges after reviewing the evidence.
The most important unanswered question is what exactly the detained man is alleged to have said and whether investigators believe the video amounted to a legally actionable threat.
Further details are expected once prosecutors formally assess the case.
