Prosecutors split Ihor M.'s charges into five counts over Jarosław convent attack

Charges split into five counts

Polish prosecutors in Przemyśl have changed the charges against Ihor M., a 31-year-old Ukrainian citizen suspected of attacking the Benedictine convent in Jarosław. Previously one charge covered both the murder and the attempted murder of four people. Prosecutors spokeswoman prok. Małgorzata Taciuch-Kurasiewicz said on Monday, 2 November, that the change is technical and legal in nature. Prosecutors now consider that he acted with a renewed intent and committed five separate crimes, one against each victim. Under the charges now filed, the combined penalty he faces is life imprisonment.

The attack and its victims

The attack happened on 24 September on the grounds of the convent. Ihor M. attacked five people with a knife, and a priest died of his injuries. Four others were injured, including people with serious wounds that threaten life. Police detained the suspect in front of the church building.

Suspect's health and custody

Ihor M. admitted the charges but refused to give explanations or answer questions. According to the prosecutor, he said only that he deeply regrets what he did. He remains in temporary custody, which is carried out in a secure psychiatric hospital because of his health. Experts diagnosed acute polymorphic psychotic disorders. Earlier opinions from September and early October found no logical contact with him, which blocked his participation in procedural steps. A later opinion allowed him to be questioned and charged, but it does not decide whether he was sane at the time of the attack, a question experts will address later in the investigation. Prosecutors have asked Ukrainian authorities for his medical records, including any psychiatric treatment, and want to question his mother.