A prominent Polish lawyer was arrested Sunday in Warsaw on suspicion of sending fabricated warnings about attacks on Poland’s president and foreign minister, in a case that authorities say involved forged communications, ammunition, and illegally obtained documents.
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said Sunday on US social media platform X that the 48-year-old suspect was accused of impersonating former senior public officials in letters sent to state institutions claiming preparations were underway for attacks on President Karol Nawrocki and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski.
According to investigators, the man allegedly tried to make the warnings appear credible by attaching documents and objects obtained illegally, while also seeking to implicate innocent individuals.
In one case, prosecutors said, ammunition was included with a letter.
Police detained the suspect after forcing entry into a Warsaw apartment, where officers seized laptops, cellphones, USB drives, service badges, weapons, and ammunition. Investigators also recovered ID cards, driver’s licenses, and residence permits belonging to other people.
A subsequent search of the suspect’s car uncovered additional ammunition and what police described as 10 artillery shells.
The man, whose name has not been released, faces seven charges, including illegal possession of weapons and ammunition and concealing documents belonging to other people. If convicted, he could face up to eight years in prison.
A court has ordered that he be held in pre-trial detention for three months.
CLIMATE OF HEIGHTENED CONCERNS
Kierwinski stressed that the investigation is separate from recent arrests linked to hoax emergency calls and false alarms targeting politicians, media organizations, and public institutions.
“Another arrested person in connection with false alarms and impersonation. This time in a different case,” he wrote on X.
The arrest comes amid heightened concern in Poland over security threats, disinformation and false alarms directed at public institutions. Authorities in recent months have warned of growing hybrid threats, including cyberattacks, sabotage attempts, and influence operations attributed to Russia, while security services have also dealt with a series of hoax incidents targeting state bodies and public figures.
Although investigators have not suggested any connection between the lawyer’s alleged actions and foreign interference, the case is likely to intensify debate over the impact of fabricated threats on public security and political stability.
Warsaw prosecutors have not disclosed a motive for the alleged actions and said the investigation is continuing.
