The Warsaw-Mokotów District Court ordered two months’ pretrial detention for 66-year-old Krzysztof N., suspected of preparing an assassination of Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. According to Onet, experts are to examine whether the man was sane.
The decision of the court on Wednesday, 14 October, was announced to PAP by the spokesperson of the Warsaw Regional Prosecutor’s Office, prosecutor Piotr Antoni Skiba. The court agreed with the prosecution’s motion. According to the prosecution, investigators took into account, among other things, the progress of the proceedings, the severe penalty facing the suspect, the risk of obstructing justice, and the risk of committing a serious crime against life and health. The prosecution notes that the suspect himself reportedly signaled such a threat.
Court's reasoning and sanity examination
According to Onet’s report, the court found that two months of pretrial detention would be sufficient to verify the suspect’s explanations. The portal also reports that experts will examine Krzysztof N.’s sanity. This information comes from Onet’s account and is based on a statement by the judge; details of the reasoning were not published in the prosecution’s statement.
Nine charges
On Tuesday, 13 October, the 66-year-old was presented with nine charges at the Warsaw prosecutor’s office. The most serious concerns planning to overthrow the constitutional organs of the state by force, which carries a penalty of two to 15 years in prison. The remaining charges concern, among other things, content published online which, according to investigators, promoted the ideology of seizing power by force. The prosecution also points to calls to commit crimes motivated by nationality, ethnic origin, race or political views, and to promoting an aggressive war, including against Ukraine. The man is presumed innocent.
What was found and how the case began
The arrest followed a statement from the Ministry of the Interior and Administration about a report of a possible assassination, which we reported after the first information about services checking the threat. The case was handled by the police, the State Protection Service and the Internal Security Agency (ABW).
During a search of the flat, over a dozen items were secured that were preliminarily classified as improvised explosive devices resembling fragmentation grenades. The prosecution stresses that these findings require further verification. Investigators also found objects resembling weapons, a list of people in contact with the suspect, and IT equipment that has been sent for analysis.
According to prosecutor Skiba, the suspect spoke of a group with radical views that was supposed to promote the idea of seizing power by force. Three branches were said to have been created, and a fourth was in the process of being formed. The prosecution says there are currently no indications that the group was inspired by foreign services, but this thread is being investigated. Materials from an investigation by the Kielce Regional Prosecutor’s Office concerning internet posts have also been added to the Warsaw proceedings.
What comes next
The two-month detention means the court will be able to decide on extending it before this period expires. The outcome of the sanity examination may affect the further course of the case, including a possible indictment. Investigators announced more detailed information for Thursday, 15 October.
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