17-year-old detained in Poland over alleged plans for terrorist attack

Authorities in Poland have detained a 17-year-old accused of preparing an attack on a school and a mosque.

A court has ordered that the teenager, named as Paweł G, be held in pre-trial detention for three months.

The case is part of an ongoing investigation by Poland’s Internal Security Agency (ABW) looking into individuals active in online neo-Nazi and extremist circles.

On 18 September, ABW reported the detention of two minors who were active in groups bringing together people linked to such ideologies.

At the time, officials stressed that the investigation was ongoing, with officers analysing the detainees’ contacts and checking whether other individuals may have been involved.

This led investigators to Paweł G.

Officers from ABW in Katowice then detained him and searched his home, securing electronic devices and data carriers that were then subjected to detailed analysis.

According to ABW’s findings, Paweł G., like the minors detained earlier, was active on the Telegram and Discord platforms, where groups linked to neo-Nazi and extremist communities operated.

He took part in discussions about previous terrorist attacks and their perpetrators. In some exchanges, participants also raised the possibility of carrying out further attacks.

Members of these groups examined, among other things, the methods used by those responsible for earlier attacks and treated them as a potential source of inspiration.

ABW further established that Paweł G. is believed to have belonged to the Atomwaffen Polska group and to have co-created the Bierut Soldier ZNB group. Both contained content and symbols referring to neo-Nazism, along with discussions of violence and terrorist activity.

Read more: Euronews