Polish police detain 13-year-old over planned school knife attack in Wąbrzeźno

Morning raid in Wąbrzeźno

At 6:00 a.m. on 28 September 2026, officers from the District Police Headquarters in Wąbrzeźno entered a residential apartment to detain a 13-year-old student suspected of preparing an attack at his primary school in Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship. The teenager was inside the residence with his father when officers executed the raid. Inside a backpack packed and prepared for school, investigators found a bayonet with a blade measuring nearly 30 centimetres. A detailed search of the teenager's room revealed a meat cleaver alongside the backpack. Police established that the boy had no prior criminal record, no past disciplinary infractions at school, and no previous police interventions registered at his family residence.

International intelligence alert

The targeted morning operation was initiated after the International Police Cooperation Bureau of the National Police Headquarters in Warsaw received an urgent overnight warning from foreign security services. Foreign partners alerted Polish authorities that the 13-year-old was preparing a knife assault on his school in Wąbrzeźno County. The intelligence also indicated that the teenager was an active member of online discussion groups promoting fascist and extremist ideologies. Specialist officers from the Cybercrime Department of the Regional Police Headquarters in Bydgoszcz were assigned to examine all computers, phones, and digital accounts used by the boy to trace his contacts and determine if other individuals were involved in the planning.

Animal cruelty admissions and juvenile proceedings

During initial investigative interviews conducted in the presence of his father, the boy admitted that he had killed several cats during the summer holiday period. He subsequently escorted officers to the exact locations where he had buried the animal remains. Because of the suspect's age, the criminal investigation will be transferred to the local family and juvenile court, which will determine appropriate custodial or resocialization measures under Polish juvenile legislation. Junior Inspector Monika Chlebicz, spokesperson for the Regional Police Headquarters in Bydgoszcz, confirmed that the operation was executed without resistance.

The arrest took place calmly. The boy had no prior record, we had not dealt with him before.

Wider adolescent extremism investigations

The Wąbrzeźno detention follows a separate investigation into youth radicalization conducted earlier in September 2026. In that prior case, the Katowice branch of the Internal Security Agency arrested 17-year-old Paweł G. for planning a mass-casualty school attack with firearms and tactical gear. Paweł G., who was placed under three months of pre-trial detention, was charged with preparing a terrorist attack, participating in an organized terrorist criminal structure, and promoting Nazism through the extremist group Atomwaffen Polska and the Bierut Soldier ZNB channel on Discord and Telegram. Police in Bydgoszcz and judicial authorities in Wąbrzeźno continue to evaluate the digital evidence recovered from the 13-year-old's home to assess any potential links to wider networks.