Polish security services held an emergency meeting on Sunday after authorities received information about a possible attack targeting Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
Officials described the information as serious but released few details about its origin or the alleged plan. No suspect, arrest or motive had been announced at the time of publication.
The main image is an official portrait of Donald Tusk from 2023. It is a contextual photograph and is not connected to the reported threat.
Alert passed from protection service to police
Jacek Dobrzyński, spokesperson for the minister overseeing Poland's intelligence services, said the information first reached the State Protection Service, which is responsible for protecting senior officials, before being passed to police.
He said authorities were treating the matter as extremely serious and believed there was a high probability that the threat could be carried out. The comments followed a meeting involving the police, State Protection Service, Internal Security Agency and Interior Ministry representatives, according to The Associated Press and Reuters.
Interior Ministry spokesperson Karolina Gałecka said an email containing information about a potential attack had been forwarded to police. Officials did not disclose who sent it, how it was obtained or what evidence had been gathered.
Officials caution against speculation
Dobrzyński said he could not provide operational details while the information was being verified. Polish public broadcaster Polskie Radio 24 reported that the security meeting had concluded and that agencies had agreed on further investigative steps.
Government spokesperson Adam Szłapka told Polish media that Tusk had been informed on Sunday morning and continued working in Warsaw. He said threats against public officials occur from time to time but described this report as exceptionally concerning.
Authorities have not publicly attributed the reported threat to a person, organisation or foreign state. Earlier warnings about political violence or hostile activity do not establish a connection to this case.
Security context in Poland
Polish services have dealt with previous threats against senior politicians. Reuters noted that police detained a 23-year-old man in August on suspicion of encouraging attacks on public figures, while Tusk reported receiving threats in 2024 after the attempted assassination of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. Officials have not said those cases are linked to Sunday's alert.
The AP also reported that Poland was already on heightened alert after three separate school attacks in Mazovia province during the previous week. One person was killed and several people, including children, were wounded. Authorities have not presented evidence connecting those incidents to the threat against the two ministers.
The investigation remains active. Any claim about a perpetrator, motive or foreign involvement would be premature unless confirmed by Polish authorities.