Three detained in Poland over hoax alerts targeting public figures: interior minister

Polish authorities have detained three people over a string of false emergency alerts that triggered police and rescue-service responses at the homes of politicians and media figures, Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said on Wednesday.

Poland's Interior and Administration Minister Marcin Kierwiński.

Photo: PAP/Tomasz Gzell

Speaking to broadcaster TVN24, Kierwiński said one suspect had been remanded in custody for three months pending trial, while prosecutors had requested pre-trial detention for a second suspect.

He said further arrests and searches were expected.

The detainees are in their 20s and had previous run-ins with the law, Kierwiński said, adding that investigators believe they acted together.

According to Kierwiński, the suspects told investigators their motives included seeking online notoriety and publicity.

He also said the individuals held "their own political sympathies," though he did not elaborate.

Zatrzymano trzy osoby w związku z fałszywymi alarmami - poinformował w rozmowie z @KonradPiasecki w @tvn24rozmowa szef MSWiA Marcin Kierwiński. Jak wyjaśnił, wobec jednej z nich zastosowano trzymiesięczny areszt. Przekazał, że zatrzymani współpracują z prokuraturą i na podstawie… pic.twitter.com/tLSEscxydo

— tvn24 (@tvn24) May 27, 2026

The investigation concerns a string of false reports made in recent days alleging bomb threats or threats to human life, prompting emergency responses by police and other services.

One such incident occurred on Saturday evening, when emergency services forcibly entered an apartment in the northern city of Gdańsk belonging to the mother of Polish President Karol Nawrocki following a false alert.

Kierwiński said authorities were working intensively to identify the person responsible for that specific hoax.

"With a high degree of probability, I can say that the person behind the false alert involving the president’s mother will be identified," he said.

He told TVN24 that the alert had been sent through an online gateway service available commercially, and investigators were tracing who purchased access and sent the message.

Kierwiński defended the emergency responders who entered the apartment, saying firefighters and other services had "simply been doing their job."

He also said members of the president’s family who required protection were receiving it, while noting that the parents of Polish presidents are not automatically entitled to state protection under Polish law.

'Well-organised groups of young people': PM

Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Wednesday before departing for London that the government wanted those responsible identified as quickly as possible.

"The matter is serious because actions like this have very serious consequences," Tusk said.

He added that investigators believed they were dealing with "well-organised groups of young people" acting for attention or personal satisfaction rather than ideological or political motives.

Fałszywe alarmy. Premier: będą kolejne zatrzymania#PAPinformacjehttps://t.co/FmM4WWREvs

— Polska Agencja Prasowa/Polish Press Agency (PAP) (@PAPinformacje) May 27, 2026

The incidents have fuelled political tensions in Poland.

Opposition leader Jarosław Kaczyński and his conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party accused the government of reacting too slowly to earlier false alerts targeting journalists linked to right-wing broadcaster TV Republika.

Zbigniew Bogucki, head of the President's Office, told pro-opposition broadcaster wPolsce24 that while he did not blame individual firefighters or officers for entering Nawrocki’s mother’s apartment, he held the government politically responsible for what he described as failures in oversight and coordination.

Poland’s interior ministry said earlier this month that between May 10 and May 15 authorities responded to 12 incidents involving hoax bomb threats and false emergency calls.

Police also entered the home of the editor-in-chief of TV Republika, Tomasz Sakiewicz, after a report alleging danger to a minor, which authorities later determined was false.

Another emergency response took place near the Warsaw residence of Kaczyński after a report alleging explosives had been planted on the property.

Deputy Interior Minister Wiesław Szczepański said on Wednesday that a special task force had been established to investigate the incidents, involving cybersecurity specialists, experts from the state-backed NASK research institute and Poland’s Internal Security Agency (ABW).

"No perpetrator committing this type of crime will remain unpunished," Szczepański said.

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Source: TVN24, PAP, IAR