English Section

Poland boosts Christmas market security after arrest over suspected bomb plot

17.12.2025 14:55
Security has been stepped up at Christmas markets in Warsaw after Poland’s domestic security agency (ABW) arrested a 19-year-old student suspected of planning a mass-casualty attack involving explosives, authorities said.
Poland increases Christmas market security after suspect arrested over bomb plot. Polish authorities reveal new information on student suspected of plotting Christmas market attack.
Poland increases Christmas market security after suspect arrested over bomb plot. Polish authorities reveal new information on student suspected of plotting Christmas market attack.Photo: PAP/Marcin Obara

The suspect was detained on 30 November and has been remanded in custody for the next three months, until the end of February 2026.

From law student to terrorism suspect - what is known about the suspect?

According to findings reported by Polish news outlet Onet, the man - identified as Mateusz W. - comes from a small town in the central Łódzkie region.

It was earlier confirmed that he was a first-year law student at the Catholic University of Lublin in eastern Poland, which has since suspended him from his studies.

Investigators say the teenager had been radicalising online, adopting an Arabic name on social media and sharing imagery associated with jihadist symbolism.

Onet also reported that in March he posted an image of Ted Kaczynski, the US domestic terrorist known as the “Unabomber”.

During the arrest, ABW officers seized electronic data carriers as well as religious materials related to Islam, including brochures and a copy of the Quran.

Polish security services said the suspect had been seeking information on how to manufacture explosive materials independently and had expressed an intention to join a terrorist organisation in order to obtain support for carrying out an attack.

Christmas markets remain open amid increased security

Officials have not confirmed which city or specific Christmas market may have been targeted.

In response to the arrest, organisers of Warsaw’s Christmas markets have introduced heightened security measures, including permanent monitoring and additional patrols, as authorities seek to reassure the public ahead of the busy holiday period.

🎄After the arrest of a 19-year-old student suspected of planning a terrorist attack, organisers of Christmas markets in...

Opublikowany przez Radio Poland Środa, 17 grudnia 2025

Read more on this topic:

(mp)

Source: Radio Poland/Onet