Polish court to rule on custody of man suspected of plotting attack on PM

A Polish court will decide on Wednesday ​whether to keep in custody ​a man suspected of planning an ‌attack ​on the prime minister and defence minister after improvised explosive materials were found in his apartment, prosecutors said. The 66-year-old man, ‌identified only as Krzysztof N. under Polish privacy law, was detained on Sunday on suspicion of planning an attack on Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz.

He has ‌been charged with nine offences, Warsaw regional prosecutors' spokesperson Piotr Skiba told reporters ‌on Tuesday. The man did not admit to the alleged offences and refused to provide an explanation.

"The most serious charge concerns plotting to forcibly overthrow state authorities — including the Prime Minister and the Council of ⁠Ministers — using ​explosives stockpiled by ⁠the man," Skiba said. He added that the suspect faces a prison sentence of 2 to 15 years ⁠for the offence if found guilty. The other charges relate to recordings published online and include ​promoting an ideology advocating the violent seizure of power in Poland, promoting war ⁠including the one in Ukraine, and inciting crimes motivated by nationality, ethnicity, race or political views.

Skiba said the ⁠man ​had been seeking people to join his plans and had created a group comprising several hundred people, according to a recording reviewed by investigators. While violent crime ⁠is relatively rare in Poland, the country is politically polarised and has faced heightened security concerns ⁠because of its ⁠proximity to the Russian war in neighbouring Ukraine.

The suspect was planning an attack on members of the current government, though he also ‌criticised politicians ‌from previous governments, Skiba said.