Teen charged in Poland over neo-Nazi attack plot

Polish authorities have charged a man linked to neo-Nazi circles with offenses including preparing attacks on a school and a mosque, prosecutors said.

The suspect, Pawel G., a Polish national born in 2009 whose surname cannot be disclosed under privacy laws, was detained on September 18, according to prosecutors, RMF24 reports.

Poland’s Internal Security Agency (ABW) said his arrest followed the earlier detention of two 16-year-olds with whom he had been in online contact through extremist and neo-Nazi circles on Telegram and Discord.

“He participated in discussions regarding past terrorist attacks and their perpetrators. Some conversations also touched upon the planning of potential attacks; participants analyzed the methods used by terrorists and viewed the perpetrators as sources of inspiration,” the ABW said.

Polish Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek said a mosque and a school were among the potential targets.

“There is not and will not be any leniency for fascism, hatred, or the planning of bloody attacks in Poland,” Zurek said on X.

Pawel G. faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

The two 16-year-olds, Kacper K. and Wiktor S., have been placed in juvenile detention centres, authorities said.

By Vafa Guliyeva