Polish authorities have arrested a 19-year-old university student on suspicion of plotting a terrorist attack at a Christmas market and seeking contacts with the Islamic State (ISIS). Mateusz W., a student at the Catholic University of Lublin, was detained in late November in Lublin, eastern Poland.
During a search of his apartment, officers seized data carriers and other items described by authorities as being “related to Islam.”
According to Jacek Dobrzynski, a spokesman for Poland’s special services, “The man was very fascinated by Islam, sought to establish contacts with the Islamic State, and was preparing an attack in Poland, in one of the cities during a Christmas market.” Investigators allege that Mateusz W. was preparing to use explosives and intended to join a terrorist organization.
Prosecutors have charged him with undertaking preparatory actions to carry out a terrorist attack that could have resulted in the death or serious injury of many people. A court has ordered that he remain in pretrial detention for three months while the investigation continues.
The arrest underscores growing security concerns at Christmas markets across Europe, which have been targeted by jihadists in multiple terror attacks in recent years. In December 2024, a car-ramming attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, killed six people and injured more than 200, making it one of the deadliest such attacks in recent memory.
European security services have reported disrupted plots targeting Christmas markets in several countries, with some municipalities canceling events due to concerns over Islamist terrorism. American investigators have noted that attackers inspired by ISIS have studied past Christmas market attacks before carrying out operations in the United States.
In response to the continuing threat, European governments including Germany have expanded security measures around Christmas markets, implementing concrete barriers to block vehicles, police checkpoints, increased patrols, and enhanced video surveillance.
