3 suspects detained in Poland on suspicion of planning far-right attack

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish security services have detained three men who were planning an attack and who appeared to be inspired by far-right perpetrators of mass killings.

The Internal Security Agency said the suspects had gathered extensive materials related to firearms use, combat tactics, and explosive devices. Prosecutors allege the group trained at shooting ranges and conducted paramilitary-style drills.

“They were fascinated by their ideology, studied how the attacks were carried out, and analyzed the mistakes that were made. The content they consumed contributed to the development of extremely radical moral attitudes,” the security agency said.

The statement on Thursday said a 19-year-old man had been arrested in the northeastern city of Olsztyn, the third suspect in the case to be detained. The two others were arrested in April, according to the state news agency PAP.

Investigators believe the suspects were influenced by other mass killers, including Timothy McVeigh, Anders Breivik and Brenton Tarrant.

McVeigh used a truck filled with explosives to carry out the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, which killed 168 people, and was later convicted and executed.

Breivik is the right-wing extremist who killed 77 people in bomb-and-gun attacks in 2011 in Norway. Tarrant slaughtered 51 Muslim worshippers during the deadliest mass-shooting in New Zealand’s history in March 2019.

The young men in Poland reportedly studied those attacks in detail, analyzing the assailants’ methods and mistakes, according to the statement.