Donald Tusk and Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz were the targets of a planned armed attack interrupted by police on Sunday (11) in the Lower Silesia region. Law enforcement officers detained a Polish national following search operations at his property after security agencies uncovered plans to carry out an armed assault against the government officials.
The head of government was informed about the security threat around 07:00, setting off rapid mobilization across Polish intelligence and security institutions. By 11:00 CEST on Sunday, October 11, 2026, representatives from the Polish Police, the State Protection Service, and the Internal Security Agency convened an emergency meeting at the Internal Security Agency Counter-Terrorism Center in Warsaw to coordinate operational maneuvers and execute the suspect’s arrest.
The investigation began after an alert email was forwarded directly to the State Protection Service, the government body charged with protecting senior state officials. The dispatch indicated that a man had established contact with a radical organization while actively seeking volunteers to carry out a shooting and mass murder. Security officials treated the intelligence as an immediate operational hazard rather than an empty provocation, swiftly tracking the suspect’s movements to a residence located in southwestern Poland.
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Lower Silesia raid triggered by credible armed threats against Donald Tusk
Interior and Administration Minister Marcin Kierwiński confirmed the apprehension, stating that the suspect threatening and planning an attack against the prime minister was taken into custody by police forces. Donald Tusk publicly acknowledged the arrest, remarking that “the man threatening an attack has been detained” and expressing gratitude to law enforcement officers for their “swift and decisive action” during the emergency response.
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Special services representatives stressed the operational severity of the findings gathered during the preliminary inquiries. Jacek Dobrzyński, spokesman for the coordinator of special services, stated that authorities viewed the situation with utmost gravity, noting that “we are treating this matter as deadly serious” and underscoring that “in this case we are talking about a strong likelihood that these threats could actually be carried out.”
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Heightened security operations across Poland following violent incidents
The arrest unfolded against a backdrop of escalated security measures throughout Poland, where authorities conducted preventive inspections at approximately 64,000 locations and public institutions in recent days. Polish police detained around 100 people across the country over the past week on suspicion of incitement or illegal weapons possession. Tensions intensified further following a deadly knife attack at a school on Thursday (8), which resulted in the death of a 37-year-old staff member and prompted Prime Minister Donald Tusk to warn publicly against an expanding online cult of violence.
Political figures in Poland have faced multiple security warnings in recent months. On September 7, 2026, police officers in Oława arrested a 52-year-old man accused of issuing death threats against Tusk on the internet, while Tusk himself had previously reported credible threats to his life in 2024 following the assassination attempt against Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.
Police and the Ministry of the Interior and Administration have not yet released the full name or age of the detained Polish citizen. Investigators have not established whether the suspect acted entirely on his own or maintained active ties with foreign extremist networks, as forensic examinations and legal proceedings continue under the supervision of state prosecutors.
