Police officers from Warsaw’s Mokotów district detained a 15-year-old Ukrainian citizen suspected of sending a company a message demanding PLN 300,000 and threatening to plant explosive materials. The family court placed the teenager in a regional juvenile educational centre (ośrodek wychowawczy) for two months.
The Warsaw Metropolitan Police (Komenda Stołeczna Policji) announced the detention on X on the morning of Tuesday, 3 November.
What we know about the threat
The incident took place a few days ago in the Wilanów district of Warsaw. According to police, an email demanding PLN 300,000 arrived at one of the company’s addresses. Its author announced that if the money was not paid, he would plant explosive materials in the company’s building.
The correspondence reportedly also contained threats to kill company employees because of their nationality. Police did not disclose the company’s name or the nationality targeted by the threats. The statements contain no information about finding any explosive devices. According to police, the content of the message prompted a response from the emergency services.
Detention and court decision
The case was handled by officers from the Juvenile and Pathology Unit of the District Police Headquarters II (Mokotów, Ursynów, Wilanów). They identified the sender of the message and detained the 15-year-old, who lives in Piaseczno.
According to police, the collected evidence points to suspicion of a punishable act corresponding to robbery extortion combined with causing a false alarm. It also involves making threats based on nationality. As RMF FM reports, police used the term „punishable act” (czyn karalny) because the perpetrator is a minor.
Because of the boy’s age, the materials were passed to the family court. The court decided to place him in a regional juvenile educational centre for two months. The court will decide on the further course of the case.
Why there are no charges or arrest
In Poland, minors under the age of 17 are not held criminally liable under the Penal Code. The 15-year-old is subject to the provisions of the Act on Proceedings in Juvenile Cases. A family court may impose educational measures or placement in an institution or centre. That is why official statements refer to a „punishable act” rather than charges and detention. The legal classification of the act is preliminary in this case.
Recent days have seen several similar detentions of teenagers in connection with threats. However, police are not linking this case to the others, and their statement contains no such indication. Earlier, we wrote about the detention of a Ukrainian teenager for painting symbols on buildings, but that is a separate case.
What it means
For employees of the Wilanów company and local residents, the threat is no longer current, as the sender has been identified. Police have not reported any evacuation or explosives in the building. The case shows that a minor may be behind threats sent by email, and that causing a false alarm leads to court proceedings. The family court’s decision to place the boy in a centre for two months is, for now, a temporary ruling. The court will determine further measures concerning the boy in the course of the proceedings.
