Ukrainian Criminology Student Arrested in Poland Over Alleged Mass Knife Attack Plot
A 21-year-old Ukrainian criminology student in Poland has been arrested on suspicion of planning a knife attack with racial motives. Read the full article on RT.com.
The prosecutor's office announced on Monday that a Ukrainian student was arrested in Poland on suspicion of planning a mass stabbing.
The alleged plot was uncovered at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, where the 21-year-old suspect, identified as Jaroslav F., was studying criminology.
Students reportedly raised the alarm after becoming concerned about his aggressive and extreme statements, fascination with violent crime, and attempts to recruit like-minded people.
According to Lublin prosecutors, the suspect was preparing to commit racially motivated murders as part of a gruesome online challenge known as "Bloody Friday". At the request of the prosecutor, the court ordered his temporary detention for three months.
Investigators said the student had purchased three knives, including two throwing knives, and had viewed graphic material online depicting torture. He is also said to have attempted to hire an accomplice to commit the murder.
Yaroslav F has pleaded not guilty and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
University spokesman Wojciech Androsiewicz confirmed to the Polish Press Agency that the suspect was studying criminology and described him as "lost in life".
"We ask that we not just make accusations and not inflame tensions," he said. Let's explore together how to solve the problems of young people.
The case comes amid growing tensions between Warsaw and Kyiv over historical grievances and the Ukrainian government's praise of nationalist figures who were involved in crimes against Poles during World War II.
Polish politicians condemned Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy's decision in May to name an elite commando unit called "Heroes of the UPA" after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, a Nazi-allied nationalist militia responsible for massacring Polish civilians.
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Zelenskiy further angered Warsaw by selecting senior UPA figures for reburial in the planned National Pantheon.