A man detained over an alleged plan to attack Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz was active in radical online communities and used hateful language, Poland’s interior minister has revealed. Marcin Kierwiński said the suspect, aged approximately 60, was arrested in Lower Silesia on Sunday after security services received a detailed warning and traced his online activity.
Speaking on TVP Info’s Pytanie dnia programme on the evening of 11 October, Kierwiński provided the first substantial public details about the man detained earlier that afternoon.
According to the minister, the suspect had extensive online contacts and participated in communities promoting extreme views.
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Kierwiński said investigators were examining those contacts to establish the full circumstances of the reported threat.
The new information follows an emergency meeting of Poland’s security services and the subsequent arrest of a man suspected of threatening the prime minister and his defence minister.
A tipster alerted Polish security services
Kierwiński explained that the investigation began when an informant alerted the State Protection Service (SOP), the agency responsible for protecting Poland’s senior officials.
The informant reportedly provided information identifying a person suspected of planning an attack.
Officers subsequently examined online material as part of their efforts to locate the individual.
According to Kierwiński’s account given to TVP Info, that work led investigators to the man who was arrested in Lower Silesia.
The minister said investigative procedures were continuing and that officers were scrutinising the suspect’s internet activity and contacts before deciding on further action.
His explanation also clarifies an important element of the original warning: authorities were acting on information supplied by a separate informant, rather than merely responding to a threat sent directly by the person under investigation.
Minister describes radical online activity
Kierwiński characterised the detained man as someone involved in online groups expressing extreme political or ideological views.
He said the suspect had used hateful language and maintained numerous online contacts.
Investigators are examining whether those activities are relevant to the reported threat against Tusk and Kosiniak-Kamysz.
However, the minister did not publicly identify the suspect by name or establish a definitive organisational affiliation.
Although Polish media have raised questions about possible connections with radical organisations, those suggestions should not be treated as confirmed findings.
Kierwiński also addressed speculation about possible foreign involvement.
As Wirtualna Polska reported from the minister’s interview, he said it was too early to conclude that foreign intelligence services were involved.
The investigation therefore remains focused on establishing the suspect’s activities, contacts and intentions, rather than any proven wider conspiracy.
Police search suspect’s home
Further details emerged from the Interior Ministry following the arrest.
Ministry spokesperson Karolina Gałecka confirmed that the detained man was a Polish citizen and that officers were conducting investigative activities at his home.
According to Polish Radio’s report on the police operation, officers searched the residence while continuing their examination of the case.
The ministry did not disclose the suspect’s name.
Investigators have also not publicly confirmed the exact nature of any criminal charges, whether weapons were obtained or whether the alleged attack had reached an operational stage.
The detention and search are confirmed developments, but they do not establish criminal guilt.
Security alert led to emergency meeting
The case began on Sunday morning when the State Protection Service received information concerning a possible attack against Tusk and Kosiniak-Kamysz.
Interior Minister Kierwiński and intelligence services coordinator Tomasz Siemoniak ordered an urgent response.
Representatives of the police, SOP and the Internal Security Agency (ABW) subsequently met at the agency’s Counter-Terrorism Centre.
Officials said the information was sufficiently concerning to warrant immediate action.
Later that day, Kierwiński announced that police had detained a man suspected of threatening and planning an attack on the prime minister.
Tusk and Kosiniak-Kamysz publicly thanked officers for their swift response.
The developments were also confirmed in Reuters’ coverage of the detention and the minister’s subsequent disclosures.
Investigation continues
The interior minister defended the security services’ handling of the case, arguing that the information they received appeared more serious than the threats regularly directed at politicians.
He emphasised that investigators were continuing their work and assessing the suspect’s activities.
The latest disclosures establish the man’s approximate age, region of detention and reported involvement in radical online communities.
They also provide a clearer account of how security services identified him.
But important questions remain unanswered, including whether investigators have established a concrete attack plan, whether other people were involved and what charges, if any, will follow.
For now, the case remains an active investigation into a suspected threat against two of Poland’s most senior government figures.
