Polish authorities have thwarted a suspected plot to attack a Christmas market, bringing charges against a student accused of planning a mass-casualty bombing, officials said.
The development comes as Germany and other nations heightened security around religious and cultural events following Sunday’s Sydney shooting, where 16 people were killed at a Jewish Hanukkah gathering on Bondi Beach.
Polish officials identified the suspect as 19-year-old Mateusz W., who was detained in late November at a Lublin apartment by agents from the Internal Security Agency (ABW).
Jacek Dobrzyński, spokesperson for the Minister’s Coordinator of Special Services, noted investigators believe the teenager had been researching how to make explosives and intended to join a terrorist organization to aid in carrying out the attack.
“The crime aimed to intimidate large numbers of people and support the Islamic State,” Dobrzyński said in a statement shared on X.
Items connected to Islam and digital storage devices were seized, and the suspect has been detained for three months as the ABW’s Szczecin branch continues its investigation.
At a news conference, Dobrzyński also referenced a June case where three 19-year-olds were charged over alleged extremist plots—including a reported plan to attack a school in Olsztyn.
“You’re aware of the Olsztyn incident; now we have another example of an attack being prepared ahead of Christmas,” he told reporters, according to .
In Germany, Lower Bavarian police arrested five men on December 12 on suspicion of plotting an attack on a Christmas market, reports said.
Authorities stated an Egyptian national described as an Islamic preacher had allegedly called for violence during gatherings at a mosque in the Dingolfing-Landau area, per .
Special operations forces executed the arrests, and investigators think the group had begun early-stage preparations.
In the U.K., counterterrorism officials increased armed patrols and public alert communications across London and other major cities on Tuesday.
“Sadly, as the horrific attack on during a Hanukkah event showed, we know these occasions can be targets for terrorist activity,” Deputy Assistant Commissioner Jon Savell said in a press release.
He cited large festive gatherings, religious services and Christmas markets as potential targets.
In the posted Tuesday, he urged the British public to report anything that “doesn’t feel right” as part of the annual winter vigilance campaign.
Meanwhile, U.S. authorities said they separately in Southern California.
Four alleged members of an extremist anti-capitalist, anti-government group—suspected of rehearsing coordinated bombings against sites linked to two U.S. companies—were arrested on Monday.