Polish prosecutors have charged a 66-year-old man with plotting to forcibly overthrow the government and attack Prime Minister Donald Tusk using improvised explosive devices, according to Notes from Poland.
The suspect, identified only as Krzysztof N. under Polish privacy law, was detained in Wrocław on Sunday following what security services described as “credible” intelligence indicating a “high probability” of an assassination attempt against Tusk and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
The district prosecutor’s office in Warsaw announced on Tuesday that Krzysztof N. faces nine criminal charges, the most serious of which carries a potential 15-year prison sentence.
Explosives and weapons discovered
A search of the man’s home uncovered approximately a dozen improvised explosive devices resembling fragmentation grenades, according to prosecutor spokesman Piotr Antoni Skiba. Investigators also found a crossbow, sharp-tipped metal bolts, and what appeared to be blank-firing or pneumatic guns.
“The most serious charge is for planning to forcibly overthrow state authorities, including the prime minister and cabinet, using explosives,” Skiba told reporters.
The plot was exposed after an anonymous tip to the State Protection Service (SOP), the agency responsible for protecting high-ranking officials, included a recording purportedly of the suspect. In the recording, Krzysztof N. claimed to have gathered “several hundred people” who shared his ideological beliefs and would help him overthrow the Polish government by force.
Online extremism and hate speech charges
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński told broadcaster TVP that the suspect was “very active in groups promoting extreme views”. Media reports have identified him as a radical-right extremist.
According to Gazeta Wyborcza, Krzysztof N. had spent months posting online videos calling on fellow right-wing extremists to fight against the authorities, while expressing antisemitic and anti-Ukrainian sentiment.
The daily Rzeczpospolita reported that he runs a Facebook page called Radical Polish Resistance Movement with nearly 8,000 followers. The page claims Poland’s two main political parties – Tusk’s centrist Civic Coalition and the opposition Law and Justice party – are “in the hands of globalists and Judeo-communists”.
Among the additional charges Krzysztof N. faces are promoting a war of aggression in Ukraine and inciting hate crimes based on nationality, ethnicity, race and political views. He has pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Prosecutors said there is currently no indication that the suspect or any group around him was inspired by foreign intelligence agencies, though the matter remains under investigation.
Second arrest for death threats
In a separate case, government spokesman Adam Szłapka announced on Tuesday that a 46-year-old man in Oborniki, western Poland, had been detained on suspicion of publicly calling for the murder of Tusk and parliament speaker Włodzimierz Czarzasty.
The man has been charged with inciting murder, which carries a potential three-year prison sentence. A prosecutor’s spokeswoman said he admitted to publishing content insulting government officials but denied inciting murder, expressing regret and remorse.
What this means for Poles in Poland
These arrests highlight growing concerns about political extremism and violent rhetoric in Poland’s polarised political climate. Security services have intensified protection measures for senior government officials following the credible threat assessment.
Polish citizens should be aware that online calls for violence against public officials constitute serious criminal offences. Inciting murder can result in up to three years in prison, while plotting to overthrow the government using force carries sentences of up to 15 years.
The State Protection Service encourages anyone with information about potential threats to government officials to report them immediately. Anonymous tips can be submitted through official channels and, as this case demonstrates, can prevent serious attacks from being carried out.
Poles living abroad who follow political developments through social media should exercise caution when encountering extremist content and consider reporting material that appears to incite violence to platform moderators or appropriate authorities.
