Key facts
- Polish authorities are investigating an alleged assassination plot targeting Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Deputy Prime Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz.
- Jacek Dobrzynski, a spokesperson for Polish intelligence agencies, stated the threats appeared credible and had a high probability of being carried out.
- The informant reportedly contacted a radical organization via social media seeking volunteers for a gun attack.
- Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that the man who threatened the attack had been detained.
- Former Polish President Andrzej Duda called such threats 'everyday business' and accused Tusk of using the incident for political cover.
- Former head of Poland's Foreign Intelligence Agency Andrzej Derlatka pointed to the Kremlin as a potential source of the threats.
Polish authorities are investigating an alleged assassination plot targeting Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his deputy, Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz. Jacek Dobrzynski, a spokesperson for Polish intelligence agencies, said on Oct. 11 that the threats appeared credible and had a high probability of being carried out. Police received numerous reports of a possible assassination attempt, leading to a meeting between representatives of the Interior and Administration Ministry, the State Protection Service, and the Internal Security Agency.
"We are taking this matter very seriously," Kosiniak-Kamysz stated at a press briefing on Oct. 11, noting the increasing number of threats and acts of intimidation targeting Poland. Karolina Galecka, spokesperson for the Interior and Administration Ministry, confirmed that threats were sent to the police via the State Protection Service on the same day as the meeting.
According to a report obtained by TVN24, the informant contacted a radical organization via social media seeking volunteers for a gun attack. The informant also reported meeting an individual named Krzysztof to discuss guns and a planned mass murder.
Prime Minister Tusk announced on social media that the individual who threatened the attack had been detained, thanking the police for their swift action. However, former Polish President Andrzej Duda dismissed the threats as "everyday business" and accused Tusk of using the incident to distract from his government's problems. Conversely, Andrzej Derlatka, former head of Poland's Foreign Intelligence Agency, suggested that the Kremlin could be behind the threats, calling Poland "Russia's biggest enemy" from Putin's perspective. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis stated that Czech intelligence services are in contact with their Polish counterparts and are ready to offer support.