Polish police investigate reported plot against PM Donald Tusk and defence minister

Polish security chiefs convened an emergency meeting on Sunday after police received warnings of a potential attack targeting Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.

Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński and Tomasz Siemoniak, the minister responsible for coordinating special services, ordered immediate counter-terrorism measures after receiving the threat, Interior Ministry spokesperson Karolina Galecka said in a statement on X.

Officials gathered at 11:00 am local time at the Internal Security Agency's Counter-Terrorism Centre. While authorities have released no official details regarding the origin or nature of the threat, Polish broadcaster Radio Zet reported that police received the warning via email.

What is known about the threat against Polish leaders?

Polish officials have not publicly identified any suspects or confirmed whether any arrests have been made in direct connection with Sunday's alert.

Polish authorities are already managing elevated security risks across multiple fronts. In August, police detained a 23-year-old man who allegedly posted calls online for the assassination of senior politicians from Poland's major political parties. Tusk also reported receiving online threats in May 2024 following an assassination attempt on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.

High alert following nationwide school attacks

The security meeting comes as Polish authorities remain on high alert following four days of violent stabbings at educational institutions in Mazovian province. Three separate attacks left a school caretaker dead and several students and teachers injured.

On Wednesday, a 19-year-old student wounded nine people at a vocational school before being arrested nearby. The following day, a 15-year-old killed a school caretaker and injured two others at his former primary school. On Saturday, a 21-year-old woman wounded three people at a post-secondary institution in Warsaw.

Speaking at a crisis meeting with officials, Tusk described the school stabbings as spontaneous acts driven by the online glorification of violence rather than an organised conspiracy. Police have inspected tens of thousands of schools across the country and detained more than 100 people for carrying dangerous weapons or issuing online threats, with Tusk noting that several of those detained had ties to far-right groups.

Polish officials also remain cautious regarding broader regional threats tied to the war in neighbouring Ukraine. Tusk previously warned that Russia could step up hybrid attacks against NATO's eastern flank, though authorities have made no connection between foreign state actors and the threat reported on Sunday.