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Polish police say machete-wielding attacker shot dead was a local citizen

31.07.2025 13:00
A man fatally shot by officers in the southern city of Sosnowiec after brandishing a machete was Polish, national police said on Thursday, urging the public not to spread misinformation about his nationality.
File photo.
File photo.Image: Policja.pl

Police were called at about 5 a.m. to Stanisława Mikołajczyka Street, where the agitated suspect had reportedly damaged parked cars and a bus.

When officers arrived, he turned on them, ignored orders and posed “an immediate threat to life and health,” the regional police command said. Officers opened fire; the man was taken to hospital and died.

Rumors on social media suggested the attacker was a migrant, prompting police headquarters to issue a statement: “We deny reports that the man was a foreigner or that his nationality is being concealed. He was Polish.”

Spokesperson for the special-services coordinator Jacek Dobrzyński contrasted the incident with recent assaults in Częstochowa and Głogów, where Polish suspects allegedly attacked African and Bangladeshi nationals, asking online, “Quo vadis, Poland?”

Sosnowiec Mayor Arkadiusz Chęciński said he trusted investigators and appealed for calm, stressing that residents’ safety remained paramount.

Police added that since the start of 2025 officers have responded 9,721 times to people behaving aggressively or irrationally, often under the influence of illegal substances.

(jh)

Source: PAP