Key facts
- A 23-year-old man has been detained in Poland for allegedly calling for the assassination of senior politicians.
- The suspect posted on an online platform proposing an assassination attempt against leading Polish politicians.
- He faces charges including preparing for crimes against peace, humanity, and war crimes.
- Separately, Polish authorities arrested a suspect in the murder of Russian dissident Robert Kuzovkov (Semyon Skrepetsky).
- Prime Minister Donald Tusk suggested Russia may be behind Kuzovkov's assassination.
- Another Russian citizen was arrested for allegedly plotting to kill an American of Ukrainian origin in Warsaw.
Polish authorities have detained a 23-year-old man accused of posting online calls for the assassination of senior Polish politicians and proposing an assassination attempt. The Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime stated that the post appeared in a group dedicated to firearms. The prosecutor charged the suspect with activities aimed at creating conditions for genocide, preparing for crimes against peace, humanity, and war crimes, as well as inciting crime. The suspect, from the eastern Lublin region, was placed in 30-day detention and faces up to 20 years in prison.
In separate but related developments, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the detention of a suspect in the murder of Russian exile and artist Robert Kuzovkov, who used the pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky. Skrepetsky, a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was shot dead in Biała Podlaska. Tusk indicated that the murder appeared to be a political assassination and suggested Russia might be behind it, with authorities working to identify the perpetrator who ordered the crime.
Furthermore, Tusk revealed that a Russian citizen was arrested on August 7 for allegedly plotting to kill an American citizen of Ukrainian origin in Warsaw. Tusk described this as a "very dangerous signal" and the first known instance of an attack on a US citizen on NATO territory ordered by Russia. Polish security services and US authorities cooperated in this arrest, which Tusk stated was prevented at the last minute.