Polish prosecutors have formulated charges including murder and attempted murder against the 31-year-old Ukrainian man detained after Thursday’s knife attack at a Benedictine abbey in Jarosław, while the four surviving victims are now reported to be in stable condition.
The attack took place on the morning of 24 September at the Benedictine abbey complex on Benedyktyńska Street in Jarosław, in south-eastern Poland.
Five people were stabbed — four men and one woman. One of the victims, a Catholic priest, later died in hospital. Police detained the 31-year-old suspect at the scene.
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At a briefing on Friday, prosecutors said they had formulated allegations concerning murder, attempted murder and causing serious bodily injury. The offences can carry a sentence of up to life imprisonment.
However, the suspect had not yet formally heard the charges at the latest confirmed briefing because he remained under medical care and experts were assessing whether he was fit to take part in procedural actions.
Prosecutors seek pre-trial detention
Prosecutors said the man required medical care relating to both his physical and mental condition.
Experts were appointed to determine whether he could be questioned and formally presented with the allegations on Friday.
The prosecution has also applied to the court for pre-trial detention. If the suspect cannot personally participate in the hearing because of his condition, a court-appointed defence lawyer can represent him.
No court ruling on that application had been publicly confirmed at the time this article was prepared.
The prosecution briefing reported by Gazeta.pl also confirmed that the four surviving victims were in stable condition and that their lives were no longer considered to be in danger.
Investigators reconstruct suspect’s movements
Investigators say the suspect entered Poland from Germany during the night before the attack and travelled towards the Polish-Ukrainian border.
According to prosecutors, he attempted to cross into Ukraine at Korczowa but was unable to do so because his car did not have valid compulsory insurance.
The vehicle was detained for examination.
Prosecutors said the man was then driven from the border area to Jarosław in a private vehicle by other people. The circumstances of that journey form part of the continuing investigation.
Investigators say the first confrontation at the abbey occurred in a café or kitchen area within the complex. The suspect then moved towards the church, where people were gathering before a morning Mass and confession was taking place.
The weapon is believed to have been a knife taken from the abbey kitchen.
Motive still unknown
The District Prosecutor’s Office in Przemyśl said after the attack that the man had wounded five people “for reasons not yet established”.
Prosecutors had still not publicly identified a motive by Friday.
There is therefore no verified basis at this stage for describing the attack as terrorism, politically motivated violence or an anti-religious crime.
Unofficial media reports have circulated about the suspect’s background, including claims about previous military service in Ukraine, but these have not been presented by prosecutors as an established explanation for the attack and are not being treated as a confirmed motive.
Attack drew response from Ukraine
The case has also attracted attention in Ukraine because of the suspect’s nationality.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack on Thursday as a “horrific crime” and said the person responsible must face full accountability under Polish law.
He also expressed condolences to the family of the priest who died and called for a swift and thorough investigation.
Polish authorities have likewise stressed that the criminal investigation concerns the individual suspect and that responsibility for the attack should not be extended to Ukrainians more broadly.
The investigation is continuing, including forensic work, witness questioning, examination of the suspect’s movements before the attack and efforts to establish why he entered the abbey and attacked the victims.
