A Catholic University of Lublin student, arrested December 16 after authorities linked him to a planned bomb attack at a Christmas market in Poland.
Arrest Following Intelligence
On Tuesday 16 December, Minister‑coordinator of Special Services spokesperson Jacek Dobrzyński announced that Internal Security Agency officers detained a man suspected of preparing a bomb attack at a Christmas market.
The student of the Catholic University of Lublin (KUL), Mateusz W., allegedly planned to execute the attack using explosives, having previously sought knowledge on how to manufacture such materials and considering joining a terrorist organization for operational support.
The purpose of the crime was stated as “to frighten many people.” Prosecutors reported that the suspect had been in contact with representatives of the “Islamic State.”
University’s Immediate Response
University spokesperson Wojciech Andrusiewicz said that KUL began the procedure on 8 December after receiving a court notice about the student’s provisional arrest.
He added that the one‑year‑law student was suspended immediately, a decision he described as “instantaneous.”
Charges Presented to the Student
The National Prosecutor’s Office recorded that Mateusz W. faced charges of preparing to carry out an attack with explosives in a public place that could host up to a dozen people.
His behaviour was limited to conversations with another identified individual; the exact location of the potential attack remained unspecified.
Preliminary Investigation Oversight
The preliminary investigation is being conducted by the Internal Security Agency Delegation in Szczecin under the supervision of the West Pomeranian Local Department of Organized Crime and Corruption of the National Prosecutor’s Office.