Polish authorities are investigating a possible plot to assassinate Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. Tusk has confirmed that a man has been arrested. Officials say they are treating the threat “very seriously”, but have given no details of who is behind it.
Police in Poland received information about a possible plot to assassinate Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, who is also deputy prime minister, according to authorities. Al Jazeera, citing Reuters, reported the news on Sunday, October 11.
What Officials Have Said
Interior Ministry spokesperson Karolina Gałecka said on social media that the ministry had ordered “action to be taken in this matter”. Politico reported that Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński and Tomasz Siemoniak, the minister coordinating the special services, ordered the measures after a “possible assassination attempt” on the two men.
Police, the state protection service and the Internal Security Agency held an emergency meeting on Sunday at the agency’s counterterrorism centre.
Afterwards, Jacek Dobrzyński, spokesperson for Siemoniak, said the authorities were treating the matter “very seriously”.
“Month after month, year after year, more and more threats and worrying messages are reaching the police,” he said. “In this case, we are talking about a strong probability that these threats could have been acted upon.”
The Arrest
Tusk later confirmed on social media that a man had been arrested in connection with the alleged plot, Politico reported.
Private broadcaster Radio Zet reported that police had received an email with information about the threat. That detail has not been confirmed by officials.
What Is Not Known
- Who sent the information, and who might be behind a plot
- What the arrested man is suspected of doing
- Whether any attack was close to being carried out
No further details had been released. Tusk and Kosiniak-Kamysz had not commented publicly when Al Jazeera first reported the story.
The Wider Context
Poland has been on the front line of Russia’s hybrid war against Ukraine’s backers in Europe and has suffered cyberattacks that were attributed to Moscow, Politico noted. Nothing in the reports links this case to Russia.
Both men are central to Poland’s government: Tusk leads it, and Kosiniak-Kamysz runs the defence ministry at a time when the country sits next to a major war.
Details are likely to change as the investigation continues.
Image: Donald Tusk (left) with António Costa, February 2025 (file photo). Photo: Gov.pl / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0 pl)
